ONE DEAD IN NEW YORK LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE OUTBREAK

A person has died during a legionnaires' disease outbreak affecting New York City, health officials confirmed on Friday. The identity, age and circumstances of the death were not disclosed by officials. The outbreak, centred on Manhattan's Upper East Side, has infected at least 67 people, with dozens hospitalised, according to city health department data.

Investigators are examining air-conditioning systems atop buildings as a potential source, as these can release water vapour carrying the bacterium. The city's health department identified either living or dead Legionella bacteria in cooling towers across more than 75 Upper East Side buildings, including museums, private schools and apartment buildings. All affected buildings received orders to clean, drain and disinfect their cooling towers. The bacterium grows in warm water and spreads through inhalation of contaminated water droplets; it does not spread between people.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, legionnaires' disease kills approximately 10 per cent of those infected. The city began tracking the current outbreak on 2 July following two initial infections. A separate outbreak in New York's Harlem neighbourhood last year resulted in seven deaths and more than 100 cases of illness.