May 9, 2008 11:59 pm US/Pacific
Norovirus Sickens More Than 70 At Moscone Center
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP) ―
It's a new kind of virus for Sun Microsystems.
At the company's JavaOne conference this week at Moscone Center in San Francisco, more than 70 people were sickened with what officials believe is
norovirus, a type of virus easily spread by touching dirty surfaces.
"It's usually spread when someone comes into contact with the same surface that a sick person with the norovirus came into contact with," said Jim Soos, assistant director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Health officials started receiving reports of the outbreak on Wednesday, and put out alerts about the situation on Friday warning people who believed they'd been infected to stay home.
"This is relatively common, you've probably heard about it on cruise ships and nursing homes. This is the same norovirus," said Soos. "Usually, it's not deadly. Usually people have mild to moderate symptoms."
Norovirus causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and lasts 24 to 48 hours.
David Perry, a spokesman for the Moscone Center, said those infected included 67 employees at the center and several conventioneers.
Perry said there were probably more conventioneers that are sick, but they hadn't reported it to health officials.
A lecturer passed out in front of a crowd at the JavaOne conference on Friday afternoon. Perry said the man probably was sick with the norovirus, although there's no way to be sure because he refused medical treatment.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
