Posted on: Friday, June 18, 2004

Las Vegas virus outbreak declared over by officials

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

The virus outbreak in Las Vegas that had sickened almost 1,700 people since December with a gastrointestinal illness is officially over as of yesterday.

That's the word from the Clark County Health District, which said the number of reported cases of the illness dropped to baseline levels — two or three cases a week — for 28 consecutive days.

Spokesman Dave Tonelli said the 28-day mark "is the amount of time that norovirus can survive on environmental surfaces" such as railings and countertops.

The sickness affected mostly visitors from Hawai'i who have made Las Vegas the state's unofficial favorite vacation destination.

Many of those visitors spent time at the California Hotel and Casino and other properties owned by Boyd Gaming. Boyd spokesman Rob Stillwell said the hotel aggressively fought the virus as soon as it became aware of the numbers.

Tonelli said the number of cases of the disease from Dec. 1 through today totaled 1,697. Most of those who became ill experienced one or two days of vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. He said the case numbers peaked in February and March.

Norovirus cannot be treated with medication. For most people, the illness goes away after a day or two of extreme discomfort, but some people have sought medical help in emergency rooms and even been hospitalized.

"Based on all the evidence we have available, the outbreak is over," Tonelli said.

Stillwell said the resort has permanently adopted many of the heightened sanitation measures, including use of hospital-grade disinfectant.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at 535-2429 or rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.