(CBS) NEW YORK An increase in cases of the serious respiratory ailment Legionnaires’ disease in the Bronx this past year has led the Health Department to ask area doctors to test patients with symptoms for the illness, considered highly treatable if diagnosed early.

The Pelham-Throgs Neck area of the Bronx recorded 27 cases of the disease last fall. Yet while cases have increased across the city in recent years, the Bronx was affected at four times the citywide rate. Since April, four new cases have emerged.

"With the correct tests, Legionnaires' disease can be diagnosed and effectively treated," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City Health Commissioner, in a release issued by the Health Department on Wednesday. "Legionnaires' disease is most common in the summer and fall, that's why we're reaching out to residents and to area doctors to remind them to test patients with symptoms of pneumonia."

While healthy people are not generally susceptible, Legionnaires’ disease can be fatal in older people, along with those that have lung disease or weakened immune systems.

Though the infection cannot be passed from person to person, the bacteria that causes the illness, Legionella, can infect those who inhale mist from water distribution systems, cooling towers, and whirlpools, where Legionella thrives.

In their statement, the Health Department urged residents who develop fever, chills, and cough to see a doctor for testing if they are over 65-years-old, smoke, or have a weakened immune system as a result of illness.

In an effort to determine the cause of the recent outbreak, the Health Department is interviewing those who have been diagnosed with Legionnaires', along with sampling water systems in hopes of identifying common sources of infection.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_206160433.html

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