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legionnaires

Four dead, 65 sick in New York City Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

By Katie Reilly NEW YORK (Reuters) – A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe type of pneumonia, has now killed four people and sickened 65 in the Bronx section of New York City since July 10, New York City health officials said on Saturday. This wave of Legionnaires’, which officials have called unusual, is now more than five times the number of cases recorded in the last outbreak, in which 12 people in the Bronx fell ill in December 2014. The disease is caused by Legionella, a bacteria found in certain plumbing systems, including hot tubs, humidifiers, cooling towers and hot water tanks.