August 01, 2025
Courtenay Harris Bond/PhillyVoice
A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York has killed one person and infected 22 others since July 25. The illness gets its name from an outbreak during the 1976 American Legion convention held at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, pictured above.
An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease has killed one person and sickened 22 others in New York.
The New York City Health Department has been investigating the cluster of infections in Harlem and surrounding neighborhoods since the outbreak started July 25. Legionnaires' – which has a historical tie to Philadelphia – is a type of pneumonia caused by a bacteria that breeds in water found in cooling towers, bathtubs and other sources.
The New York health department has tested all water towers in operation in the area and advised owners of buildings whose towers screened positive to remediate the problems within 24 hours, according to a statement Thursday.
"Anyone with flu-like symptoms should contact a health care provider as soon as possible," New York Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Toni Eyssallenne said.
People become infected with Legionnaires' by inhaling water vapor or mist that contains the Legionella bacteria. It affects the lungs, usually causing a fever and cough. It sometimes causes diarrhea and confusion.
Most people exposed to the bacteria do not become infected with the disease, and it is treatable if caught early. But people who are over 50, who have chronic lung conditions or who smoke are at higher risk, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Legionnaires' disease gets its name from a 1976 outbreak in Philadelphia. The then-mysterious respiratory disease killed 34 people and sickened 221 others. Most of the people infected had been attending the American Legion convention at what was then called the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, now The Bellevue Hotel, at Broad and Walnut streets. A bus driver, some pedestrians who had walked past the building and a technician working on the air conditioning system also became ill, according to PBS.
The Pennsylvania State Health Department asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help determine the sources of the illness. The team tested possible sources including a hat and a pin worn by people who attended the convention – as well as cigarettes attendees received in their packets of conference materials, according to the CDC.
After an extensive investigation, the team figured out that an airborne pathogen was the culprit. A CDC microbiologist ultimately was able to isolate the bacteria, which he named Legionella pneumophila. The bacteria had contaminated the Bellevue Stratford's cooling system.
A temperature inversion on July 24, 1976 may have impacted the air near the hotel's water tower and caused mist carrying the Legionella bacteria to pass through the building's cooling system and along its exterior, according to PBS.
When the Bellevue Stratford opened in 1904, it was considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the country, attracting royalty, dignitaries and socialites from around the world. But the building deteriorated through the decades. After extensive renovations, the hotel reopened in 2024 as The Bellevue Hotel, with 184 guest rooms, including 39 suites.
The Bellevue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
