It has been reported by officials that Legionnaires' disease has killed two more persons in the Bronx. With this, the total of deaths as a result of the disease has become 12 in the outbreak of the disease that is considered largest in the city's history.

According to officials, at present, 113 reported cases of the disease are there in the Bronx, and legionella bacteria have been detected in cooling towers of a number of buildings. Also, the continuous problems between state and city governments pose a risk of weakening officials' confidence regarding control of the outbreak.

The outbreak has turned to be New York City's largest public health crisis since Ebola scare during last fall. Cases of Legionnaires' disease have been reported for over a month in a section of the South Bronx, which is poorest area of the city. The disease is a type of pneumonia particularly dangerous for the aged people in addition to people suffering from underlying health issues.

According to de Blasio, "We are dealing with a new set of realities we have never experienced that we have never encountered before in this city". He added that the country's largest city has had to come up with 'a playbook' in order to deal with the outbreak.

According to officials, among the 12 who died, one was over 40 years old and all of those people were suffering from some health problems. Delay in reporting cases could be there for the reason that the disease has an incubation period of 10 days.