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

A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York's Central Harlem has now caused four deaths and sickened 101 people, New York City health officials confirmed.

Four people in New York City's Harlem neighbourhood have died from an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, an aggressive and potentially deadly form of pneumonia. The city has seen 99 confirmed cases with 17 people in hospital with the infection, according to the New York City Department of Health.