Guggenheim museum in New York City tests positive for legionnaires’ disease
Summary
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City tested positive for bacteria linked to legionnaires’ disease as part of a larger outbreak on the Upper East Side. City health officials are requiring buildings with cooling towers to clean them to prevent the spread of the disease, but the museum remains open and officials say there is no immediate risk.Key Facts
- The Guggenheim Museum and 30 other buildings on the Upper East Side tested positive for legionella bacteria.
- Cooling towers in these buildings must be cleaned and disinfected to control the outbreak.
- The museum was not closed during testing or cleaning and regularly monitors its cooling tower.
- Positive tests do not confirm these sites as the source because tests can’t tell live bacteria from dead.
- Over 50 people have been diagnosed in this outbreak; fewer than 20 remain hospitalized, and no deaths reported so far.
- Legionnaires’ disease is a serious pneumonia caused by breathing tiny droplets of water containing legionella bacteria.
- The bacteria grow in warm water systems like cooling towers, which cool buildings but do not affect drinking water or indoor air.
- People over 50, smokers, and those with lung or immune problems have a higher risk of severe illness.
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