New York state is taking steps to curb the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the emergency health regulations on Monday. All owners of buildings with cooling towers will be required to register with the state Health Department within 30 days.

Legionnaires' disease is a severe, sometimes lethal, form of pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella.

The new rules require regular testing for legionella bacteria, and owners must immediately disinfect any contaminated towers.

Cooling towers in the Bronx are believed to have housed legionella bacteria that led to the largest outbreak of the disease in New York City history. Twelve people have died, and there have been at least 121 cases of the disease. Three cases have been reported in the Hudson Valley, including a worker from a manufacturing company in Orangeburg.