New York City health officials are battling an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Central Harlem.

Health officials in New York City have been fighting several Legionnaires' disease cases since late July.

The NYC Health Department has recorded more than 100 cases of Legionnaires' disease in Central Harlem, a historically Black neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, since the outbreak started July 25. One patient linked with the Central Harlem cluster died earlier in August, city health authorities said.

Investigators suspect that cooling towers – which use water to cool enormous buildings and then release mist into the air – are the origin of the disease-causing bacteria, Legionella. People who breathe in the mist can become ill if the water within the towers gets too warm, stagnant or isn't adequately cleaned.

How many cases have been reported?

As of Aug. 19, NYC Health had confirmed 108 cases. Of those, 14 people had been hospitalized and five had died.

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Where is the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York?

Local health officials are investigating an area inside ZIP codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039, but they emphasized the majority of people living in those ZIP codes are at low risk. They ask, though, that anyone who works or lives in the area contact a health care provider if they have flu-like symptoms.

The city health department said it has sampled and tested water from all cooling towers in the five ZIP codes. On Aug. 14, health officials confirmed 12 cooling towers in the area tested positive for Legionella bacteria. Remediation of the towers has since been completed.

"Any cooling towers with initial positive results for Legionella bacteria have completed the treatment required by the Health Department," the health department wrote in statement. "We are continuing to monitor and let buildings know if additional treatment is needed."

What causes Legionnaires' disease?

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by consuming water or breathing in water vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease can be caused by plumbing systems where conditions are favorable for bacterial growth, such as cooling towers, whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks and evaporative condensers of large air conditioning systems. The bacteria lives in water and thrives in temperatures between 77 and 113 degrees.

According to the CDC, Legionnaires' disease is treatable with medications and cannot be transmitted from person to person. About 1 out of every 10 people who get sick with Legionnaires' disease may die because of complications from the illness. Most healthy people who are infected typically recover.

What are the symptoms of Legionnaires' disease?

Health experts have advised those who are more susceptible, such as those who smoke, are 50 or older, have weakened immune systems, or have chronic lung illness to get medical attention at once if they experience any symptoms.

CONTRIBUTING Thao Nguyen and Jim Sergent

SOURCE Mayo Clinic, OSHA, CDC and NYC Health

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 108 people sickened, 5 dead. How NYC is handling Legionnaires' outbreak

Reporting by Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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