Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced last week the county Department of Health will be joining the coordinated state response to a growing Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak in New York City.
McCoy said Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, Commissioner of the Albany County Department of Health, will join state officials and those from the Centers for Disease Control to monitor the situation and develop an action and response plan. Dr. Whalen will work with the team in the Bronx, where more than 100 cases have been reported and 10 people have died. The disease is not spread person-to-person. According to the DOH, high concentrations of the bacteria can be dangerous.
The Governor announced Thursday that the state DOH will offer free Legionnaires’ Disease testing statewide for property owners and landlords of buildings with cooling towers or evaporative condenser units that may be a source of the bacteria.
The testing will be done free of charge at the Wadsworth Center, which is located in Albany County. The Governor also announced that there have been two hotlines set up to facilitate the testing. The numbers are (888) 769-7243 or (518) 485-1159.