The Upper East Side Legionnaires’ disease outbreak has now claimed the lives of nine people, eclipsing the death toll from last year’s Harlem cluster, health officials announced Friday.
The grim milestone was shared by Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin, who said two people who were diagnosed weeks ago had died.
“I’m saddened to share that 2 more people have died in connection with the UES Legionnaires’ disease cluster,” Martin said in a statement.
“We mourn each loss, and our hearts are with their loved ones.”
City Council Speaker Julie Menin, an Upper East Side resident, said she was “saddened” to hear that two more people died from the “devastating outbreak.”
Menin confirmed that one of the deaths included “one previous case reclassified as connected to the cluster.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones as they grieve these heartbreaking losses,” she wrote.
Martin said the source of the Upper East Side Legionnaires disease outbreak has been eliminated and residents are no longer at increased risk of exposure.
One person still remains hospitalized, the Department of Health said.
There have been no new confirmed cases or reported symptoms in more than three weeks but the health department will continue to analyze samples of the disease from cooling towers and patients.
This summer’s outbreak has now surpassed the Harlem Legionnaires’ outbreak last year, where seven people died after contracting the disease.
Last week, grieving families and survivors of the deadly 2025 Harlem cluster linked to city-owned buildings sued the Big Apple — demanding Mayor Zohran Mamdani take action amid the current Upper East Side outbreak.
Rev. Al Sharpton and civil rights attorney Ben Crump unveiled the trio of lawsuits on Aug. 8 which included a wrongful death claim involving five of the seven people who died in last summer’s cluster.
“Now, while we applaud Mamdani’s expeditious efforts to address and stop the Legionnaires’ outbreak on the Upper East Side just last month, we urge Mamdani and the city to properly resolve this matter with these families,” Crump said.
“These are people who were injured, are killed as a result of this negligence, and the survivors and the families of the deceased deserve to have this matter resolved.”
