Shop NYC Top

The messaging from officials around how people in Harlem are being infected with Legionnaires has been embarrassingly bad. All they’re saying is if you feel flu like symptoms go to the hospital. Nothing specific about how people are being infected, or how to prevent infections from occurring.

The most I’ve been able to gather is that some cooling towers on the roofs of buildings have the disease, and when they release mist, people breathe it in and are infected. Does this mean you can just be walking down the street and breathe in mist from a tower and be infected? If this is how it’s being spread, why is there so much discussion about shower heads, sinks, and air conditioners? Would wearing a mask as you walk down the street protect you from breathing in this mist? It’s a little baffling to me that the only information provided is regarding what to do after you’ve gotten sick, but nothing about how to prevent getting sick in the first place.