There have been a few confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease in Broome County this year.

Bob Joseph/WNBF News
Bob Joseph/WNBF News
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Although an outbreak of the disease in New York City killed 12 people, it's not known whether anyone diagnosed with it in Broome County died.

Mari Yourdon of the county Health Department today said Legionnaires' disease has been "relatively uncommon" locally.

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Yourdon said over the past 16 years, the annual number of cases reported in Broome County has ranged from 3 to 29.

Yourdon said "fewer than ten" cases have been confirmed in the county so far this year. She said she could not say whether any of the people who had the disease had died.

Yourdon said there was no indication the Broome County Legionnaires' disease cases were linked to building cooling towers, which have been implicated in the New York City outbreak.

The bacteria linked to the disease can thrive in cooling towers and in hot-water tanks. That means people can sometimes be exposed to the bacteria in showers, pools or hot tubs.

New York City officials have ordered testing of all cooling towers in the wake of the recent outbreak.

Yourdon said the number of Broome County buildings with cooling towers is unknown because there are no registration requirements.

State officials are considering instituting new regulations dealing with cooling towers that could include registration and cleaning standards.

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