LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Every day, I'm looking out for the health and wellness of our community.
So when the Southern Nevada Health District said they were looking into two cases of Legionnaires' disease at Caesars Palace, I wanted to know how serious this is and what you need to know.
I spoke with Andrew Clark who lives in Las Vegas and is all too familiar with the issue. He used to be a union plumber and provided maintenance to Strip resorts.
"A big carrier of Legionnaires' disease is usually water with a spray to it," Clark told me. "I heard of cases years ago in the Rio."
According to the health district, two guests contracted Legionnaires' disease at Caesars Palace: one in December and another in June.
I spoke to UNLV epidemiologist Brian Labus who says this illness is a type of pneumonia that comes from breathing in bacteria found in water systems.
"When we turn on showers or things like that, it kicks the bacteria into the air with the water," Labus explained. "You breath it in and you get a lung infection. For some people, it can become very serious."
Health district representative Rosanne Sugay tells me after the first case was reported, tests on the water came back negative for the disease. However, the second case led to one positive sample from the Palace Tower. The hotel cleaned the system and follow-up tests are now clear.
"All our resorts in the valley already have very robust water management programs," Sugay said. "The thing with Legionella is it's pretty ubiquitous in the environment."
Legionnaires' disease symptoms can appear two to 10 days after exposure.
"It spreads through water, not like other respiratory illnesses. So you would have to have very high concentrations of Legionella," Sugary told me. "It gets sprayed in the air and then somebody has to inhale it."
For locals like Clark, this investigation is more than just a headline. It's a wake-up call.
"Do you think this is something we need to be mindful of to just have in the back of our heads," I asked.
"A lot of it is prevention, Clark replied. "If you are putting chemicals and chlorine in the water, an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure."
Experts say Legionnaires' disease can be tricky because it often mimics the symptoms of pneumonia so here are the top five things to watch out for.
- Persistent coughing
- A high fever over 104 degrees
- Severe muscle aches
- Shortness of breath, even from simple activities
- Headaches
You're urged to get checked out right away if you're experiencing any of these symptoms, especially if you're over the age of 50 or have a weakened immune system.
