NYC NOW
NYC NOW
WNYC
Grief, Fear and Memory Loss: The Lasting Toll of Legionnaires’ Disease in New York
30 minutes Posted Sep 28, 2026 at 9:06 pm.
0:00
30:06
Download MP3
Show notes

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. Thomas


Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected].

 

For more on Legionnaires 


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.