Bronx Legionnaires' disease outbreak prompts NYC health officials to order the cleaning of 10 cooling towers

The New York City Department of Health is taking new action against a deadly Legionnaires' disease cluster in the Bronx . Health officials on Sunday ordered 10 cooling towers that tested positive for Legionella bacteria to be cleaned and disinfected. They are located in the zip codes of 10451 and 10456, and include Yankee Stadium. The cooling towers with positive PCR results are located at: At a town hall addressing community concerns, officials said preliminary testing ordered just a few days ago found that traces of the bacteria were detected in those cooling towers. An investigation was launched late last week as officials continue to try to determine the source of this new outbreak, which is concentrated in the Melrose and Morrisania sections of the borough.

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Scoop News DeskBronx, New York · Published Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 10:53 PM UTCUpdated Monday, September 14, 2026 at 10:06 PM UTC

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Yankee Stadium tested positive for trace amounts of Legionella bacteria and was one of 10 cooling towers in the Bronx that tested positive. "A PCR test, which is different from the independent monthly testing Yankee Stadium regularly undertakes, can detect the presence of Legionella bacteria DNA but cannot determine whether the bacteria are alive or dead and does not confirm that a cooling tower is the source of exposure. In addition to Yankee Stadium as a site with a cooling tower of concern, other towers cited by the health department are located at Boricua College's Bronx campus, a Morrisania dialysis center, and a PureGym location.

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