Health officials investigating cluster of rare Legionnaires' disease cases in New York - CBS News

Health officials on Long Island are investigating 10 reported cases of Legionnaires' disease — a rare form of pneumonia caused by a bacteria called Legionella.

The source of the cluster has yet to be identified, but New York is seeing an uptick in Legionnaires cases statewide, the Nassau County Department of Health said. .

The 10 cases of the disease, first identified in October, have been reported within a one-mile radius in a Long Island neighborhood, the county's health department said.

People can contract Legionnaires by breathing in a mist or vapor containing the Legionella bacteria, which occur naturally in the environment, according to the county health department.

In 2018, there were nearly 10,000 cases of Legionnaires reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease usually lasts between two to five days and can range from a mild cough to a "rapidly fatal" case of pneumonia, according to the World Health Organization

Those over the age of 50, current and past smokers, those with chronic lung disease and immunocompromised people are at higher risk of coming down with Legionnaires, the Nassau County Department of Health said.