Las Vegas Hotel Linked as Source of Legionnaires Disease Outbreak

According to a spokesperson for the Southern Nevada Health District, 6 recent cases of Legionnaires’ disease have had their origins traced back to the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

According to a statement from the hotel, the 6 infected had stayed at the hotel at a time when it appears that the water supply contained elevated levels of Legionella bacteria.

The bacteria earned its name in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion suffered from an outbreak of a very serious pneumonia. The bacteria can lead to serious lung infection which much be treated by a physician with antibiotics.

According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Legionnaires’ infects between eight thousand and eighteen thousand people each year in the U.S.

This was not the first outbreak this year. In February about 200 people reportedly became ill after an event at the famous Playboy mansion. Many of those affected suffered from a less dangerous form of the disease known as Pontiac fever. With symptoms including headaches, fever and respiratory problems, this milder version of the disease is caused by the same legionella bacteria as full blown Legionnaire’s disease.