Yankee Stadium is among 10 locations in the South Bronx where cooling towers have tested positive for Legionella bacteria amid an active disease outbreak.
The New York City Department of Health ordered all 10 towers that tested positive to be cleaned and disinfected by Monday following Sunday’s findings.
Officials cautioned that polymerase chain reaction testing can detect Legionella presence but cannot confirm whether the bacteria are alive or identify a specific source of exposure.
Authorities stressed that only live Legionella bacteria can cause illness, a key distinction as investigators work to trace the origin of the South Bronx cluster.
One person has died and five cases have been confirmed in connection with the South Bronx outbreak, according to city health officials.
The outbreak follows a deadlier cluster on the Upper East Side, where nine lives were lost and more than 90 confirmed cases were reported beginning in early July.
Yankee Stadium also issued a statement noting that its towers have undergone water quality and bacteriological indicator testing on a weekly basis over the last three years.
The team said that the most recent monthly testing on Aug. 20, provided to the Department of Health, returned negative results for Legionella bacteria.
“No current cases have been associated with Yankee Stadium,” the team said. “Additionally, the New York City Department of Health has not at any point this month asked us to postpone our games.”
Beyond Yankee Stadium at 1 E. 161st St., affected sites include Lincoln Hospital at 234 E. 149th St. and Boricua College Bronx Campus at 890 Washington Ave.
The Health Department is conducting culture testing to determine whether live Legionella bacteria were present when samples were collected, a process that can take up to two weeks.
Officials urged anyone who lives, works, or has visited the affected area since late August and develops flu-like symptoms to contact a healthcare provider immediately.
Residents in the affected ZIP codes were told it remains safe to shower, drink tap water, and use air conditioners during the ongoing investigation.
Legionnaires’ disease is treatable but kills approximately 10% of patients, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and spreads through warm water environments including hot tubs and building cooling equipment.
