December 18, 2005

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Clark County health officials have determined the cause of the gastrointestinal illness reported by guests at a Las Vegas hotel-casino.

They said samples tested positive for norovirus, the family of common viruses that have sickened many cruise ship passengers.

About 15 guests – all locals – complained of the illness after eating last week at the Monte Carlo.

The source of the outbreak has not been determined. Norovirus can be passed on by food contamination and person-to-person contact.

Real estate agent Jenny Q. Schmitz-List said she and her husband were sick for a week after attending a banquet at the Monte Carlo.

“I’ve lost a week of my life,” she said. “I’m happy to be alive.”