Statement from Doctors Council SEIU President Dr. Frank Proscia on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Plan to Contain the Legionnaire’s Disease Outbreak

We commend Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration for taking a proactive and comprehensive approach to addressing the outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease in New York City. While Legionnaire’s Disease is a readily treatable condition, it is important for the City to detect the causes of the spread of the bacteria and to ensure more cases do not proliferate.

We encourage New Yorkers who are experiencing pneumonia like symptoms, such as unexplained fever, shortness of breath or coughing, to immediately seek medical attention, especially the elderly and those with preexisting health conditions.

City officials are proactively looking at buildings that might be the root causes of the outbreak, specifically those buildings with air conditioning cooling towers and are working to remediate those sites immediately.

Doctors Council welcomes news of legislation that will take a longer-term view of this public health issue by instituting proper building inspections and reporting to prevent contamination. The legislation, expected to be announced by the end of this week, is crucial and its implementation will greatly benefit all of New York City. We appreciate the work of all the elected officials – City Councilmembers, the Bronx Borough President, Public Advocate and other elected officials – working to support this legislation and other preventative measures. Doctors Council is prepared to assist the administration in any way possible.

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