The New York City health department has opened an investigation into cases of Legionnaires' Disease connected to a Midtown hotel.
Three people who stayed at the InterContinental New York Barclay tested positive for the disease in the last 12 months, according to department officials. The city has since identified Legionella bacteria, which causes the disease, in the hotel's water system.
Hotel spokesperson Kristin Huxta Bradley said the hotel launched a water remediation program in response, which includes increasing water temperatures at the hotel, cleaning pipes and water tanks, and using chlorine treatments.
Most people exposed to the bacteria face a low risk for the disease, but Legionnaires' — a form of pneumonia — is fatal in about one in 10 people. The symptoms present like other kinds of pneumonia, including cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches. They usually show up between two to 14 days after exposure to the bacteria.
Older adults, current and former smokers and immunocompromised people are especially vulnerable to the disease, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.
Legionnaires' disease is prevalent in New York state and has been a persistent public health problem for the city.
An outbreak linked to a cooling tower in the Bronx last year hospitalized 28 New Yorkers and killed two.
Though Legionnaires' disease is on the rise nationally, New York City has been especially vulnerable because of a certain type of city architecture, said water and food safety attorney Jory Lange.
"There are a lot of very tall buildings with cooling towers on top of those and dense populations, and when you have cooling tower outbreaks, the Legionnaires' Disease can really spread a long way," he said.
Outbreaks of the disease have also been linked to hot tubs, hot water tanks and heaters, fountains, pools and drinking water, according to the Mayo Clinic.
I would be very concerned about staying in a hotel with a positive Legionnaires' test result
The city health department notified guests and InterContinental employees on June 6, letting them know about the recent infections and how they should protect themselves. Because Legionnaires' can spread easily through water vapor, the department said guests and staff should replace all showers with baths and take extra precautions when dealing with warm water.
Despite the remediation measures implemented by the hotel and the warnings from the department, Lange said people should be cautious before opting to stay there.
"It sounds like the hotel is attempting to take measures to eliminate the Legionella bacteria, but without knowing that they have eliminated the Legionella bacteria, I would be very concerned about staying in a hotel with a positive Legionnaires' test result," Lange said.
The disease is indistinguishable from other forms of pneumonia unless a doctor tests a patient. The only way to link Legionnaires' disease to a specific environmental source is by using a culture.
