Legionnaires' Hits a Neighborhood Already in Poor Health

The numbers of those infected by Legionnaires' Disease rose to 100 reported cases, New York City officials said Thursday afternoon. Ten people have died.

The outbreak is hitting a community already plagued by poverty and chronic health issues, including high rates of asthma, obesity and diabetes.

Those are issues that anger Edwin Shivers, who lives near Lincoln Hospital. The hospital was one of the sites with a cooling tower that tested positive for the legionella bacteria.

“What is there to be positive about?" he said. "The only thing to be positive about: I got a chance to spend time with my grandson, and I woke up. Woke up to what? To all of this crap that’s going on.”

That one-two punch of pre-existing health issues and poverty may help explain why the South Bronx is home to the largest outbreak of Legionnaires' in the city's history. Some research shows that the disease disproportionately affects exactly these communities.

Safia Haakmat, 29 and in good health, said she sees how difficult it is for people in her neighborhood, where the poverty rate is 39 percent, to make healthy choices.

"It's harder to care than not to care," she said.

But Haakmat said she loves the South Bronx, where she has lived for the last 10 years, particularly the people and the diversity of the neighborhood.

UPDATED: This story was updated 4 p.m. Thursday with the latest number of cases and fatalities from the outbreak.