Governor Kathy Hochul defended New York City's response to the Legionnaires' outbreak after officials confirmed the death toll had risen to five.

Rainwater left untreated in cooling towers atop city-owned Harlem Hospital fueled the Big Apple’s deadliest Legionnaire’s disease outbreak in a decade, the Rev. Al Sharpton charged Tuesday.

A deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City has set health and community leaders on a campaign to educate the public on ways to prevent the bacteria from growing and spreading.

Symptoms mimic the flu but escalate quickly. Watch for cough, fever, chills, muscle aches, shortness of breath, and sometimes headache, confusion, diarrhea, or nausea. Symptoms usually show up 2–14 days after exposure.