22 People in Harlem Fall Ill with Legionnaires Disease
Legionnaires has sickened 22 people in Central Harlem, and one person has died. New York City health officials are investigating whether contaminated cooling towers caused the outbreak. If the towers are identified as the source of contamination, the NYC health department says it will fix problem the promptly. In the meantime, the health department advises “anyone with flu-like symptoms should contact a health care provider as soon as possible”. Legionnaires disease is treatable with antibiotics but detecting it early is critical. A delay in treatment increases the risk of life-threatening illness. Unlike viruses, which can’t be treated with antibiotics, Legionella is a bacteria which can be killed by antibiotics if treatment starts early enough.
Legionnaires is usually caused by breathing in contaminated water vapor from cooling towers, hot tubs, whirlpools, humidifiers, hot water tanks and condensers from large air-conditioning units.
Full Story: CIDRAP
Measles Continues to Spread in US and Canada
Measles cases continue to rise in North America as the US Centers for Disease Control recorded 14 additional measles cases last week. The CDC update increases the country’s case count to 1,333 for 2025 across 39 states. The vast majority of cases have been individuals age 19 years or under. To date, 169 patients have been hospitalized and 3 patients have died. 2025 is the worst year for measles since the virus was officially declared eliminated in the year 2000.
Canada has fared even worse than the US this year, reporting over 3 times the number of cases than its neighbor to the South. To date in 2025, Canada has confirmed 4,206 infections. As in the US, low vaccination rates have fueled measles’ resurgence. In Alberta, the center of Canada’s outbreak, schools don’t require vaccination for students. Just 70% of children in Alberta have received both doses of the measles vaccine, which is well below the 95% threshold necessary to prevent community spread.
Full Story: CIDRAP
