Dozens Sickened By Norovirus Outbreak at Moscone Center

May 9, 2008

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San Francisco public health officials are warning of an outbreak of a virus that has sickened dozens of people at the Moscone Center.

About 70 people who fell ill had been at the Moscone Center between April 30 and Thursday, authorities said. All but three were staff members working at the convention center, said Moscone spokesman David Perry.

The people appear to have caught a highly contagious norovirus, commonly and misleadingly known as the stomach flu, which can cause violent outbreaks of diarrhea and vomiting.

The source of the virus has not yet been identified, but generally the norovirus is passed when an infected person spreads microbes either by preparing food or sharing plates or utensils, said Jim Soos, assistant director of policy and planning at the San Francisco Public Health Department.

Public health officials are working with convention center organizers to make cleaning recommendations and to confirm the cause of the illness, according to a bulletin issued by the health department.

The Moscone Center consists of more than 2 million square feet of building area. Today it hosted the last day of the JavaOne Conference, and a new event next week is going ahead as scheduled, Perry said.

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