Grief, Fear and Memory Loss: The Lasting Toll of Legionnaires’ Disease in New York

New York City has seen a string of deadly Legionnaires outbreaks. Daniel Thomas reflects on losing his father, retired New York State Supreme Court Justice Charles Thomas, after he contracted the disease during this summer’s Upper East Side outbreak. But death is not the only lasting consequence. WNYC and Gothamist reporter Joe Hong speaks with two survivors of the 2025 Central Harlem outbreak who are still living with serious health problems more than a year later, and looks at why Legionnaires outbreaks keep happening across the city.Photo cred: Daniel Thomas, son of The Honorable Charles J. ThomasGot any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at NYCNow@WNYC.org. NYC childcare providers say city contract rates fall $12.6K short per childMamdani says NYC will investigate every tenant heat complaint starting this OctoberThe NY Liberty head back to the playoffs today. Catch up on what you missed.For more on Legionnaires NYC Now - New York City Vowed Reform After Harlem’s Legionnaires’ Deaths. A New Outbreak Is Exposing the Gaps What we know so far about the Legionnaires’ outbreak ahead of Bronx town hall5 Bronx buildings had no recent record of monthly testing before Legionnaires’ outbreakNYC councilmembers plot next steps on Legionnaires', hear from a widow Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.