Legionnaires' disease hits Fort Independence Houses

They're not exactly calling it an outbreak, but two people have reportedly contracted Legionnaires' disease at Fort Independence Houses, continuing what seems to be a growing epidemic of the bacteria popping up in various New York facilities over the past year.

One resident at the New York City Housing Authority complex was sickened recently, while another one was affected sometime in the last 12 months, according to published reports. Requests for information from the city health department on Sunday were pending return.

Legionnaires' disease was first identified in 1976 when a number of people who attended an American Legion convention in Philadelphia suddenly developed pneumonia. Nearly 30 of them died.

The history surrounding Legionnaires' is well known, which might explain why many fear even the mention of the disease. Yet, only a small fraction of people get sick from exposure to the Legionella baceria, health department officials said last year, which typically afflicts those who are older, or who have weakened immune systems.

The two sickened at the 3340 Bailey Ave., complex were those who were more susceptible to the disease, according to published reports from NBC New York.

Jacobi Medical Center on Pelham Parkway South was a victim of Legionnaires' in July, where a routine check of the water systems turned up the virus, but no one apparently got sick. And then last November, five people were afflicted with the disease at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale on Palisade Avenue. However, all five recovered, officials there said at the time. 

A request for comment from NYCHA on Sunday morning was pending return.