A downstate Legionnaires' disease outbreak has raised questions about public health procedures.
Legionella bacteria are commonly found in the ground or stagnant water. They especially likes warm tempuratures, between about 75 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
While they're relatively harmless in small numbers, it can be dangerous when they start multiplying in urban areas. This week five cooling towers in the South Bronx have been identified as breeding grounds for the bacteria, leading to an outbreak infecting 86 people.
Here in Monroe County, officials take preventative measures against those kinds of growths, but Health Department Spokesperson John Ricci says its not like cleaning your home air conditioning unit.
"In large buildings and structures these are often very complicated complex in some cases older systems where Legionella can lurk in different places."
After an outbreak in 2006, Strong hospital took precautions to protect patients by chlorinating the water.
There are no mandatory rules in place for businesses in Monroe County, but Ricci says they are not yet necessary because most businesses follow best practices, and the number of reported cases in the county are low. Ricci estimates there are approximately 20-30 cases of Legionnaires' reported annually.
