With such low occupancy, what are the larger hotels on the Strip doing to protect against the possibility of Legionnaires disease? Is housekeeping going in all those empty rooms and flushing the toilets and running the showers on a bi-monthly basis?
Legionnaires Disease got its name from an unfortunate group of American Legion members who were stricken with it while congregating at a Philadelphia hotel in 1976.
A casino-hotel is the perfect breeding ground for this debilitating illness, which is, ironically, a lot like COVID, though it's spread by bacteria, rather than a virus. Specifically, it's an "atypical pneumonia" caused by any species of Legionella bacteria, often Legionella pneumophila. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can also occur.
The bacteria, as cited in the question, are inhaled through aerosol droplets spread by faucets, showers, misters, air-conditioning systems, hot tubs, decorative fountains, and the like. Oh, and cigarette smoke. Warm water is required for the growth of Legionella.
Also like COVID, Legionnaire’s Disease has a long incubation period of up to two weeks. Most people who are exposed to it don't get sick, while some people are more at risk than others. Risk factors include being 50 years or older, being a current or former smoker, having a chronic lung condition (like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema), having a weakened immune system or taking drugs that weaken the immune system (like after a transplant operation or chemotherapy), having cancer, or having underlying illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, or liver failure.
Once a hotel is infected with Legionella, as occurred at Harrah’s Laughlin in August 2018, the entire water system must be tested and, where needed, disinfected. The Laughlin case, however, was nothing compared to an outbreak at the Rio in 2017, a mess that took months to remediate. That slip-up resulted in seven confirmed cases of Legionella, 29 suspected cases, and 56 cases of Pontiac fever, a Legionella-related infection.
We contacted several major casino companies and the Nevada Resort Association with your question about proactive measures and all but one ran for cover.
The one exception requested anonymity; with one closed hotel (or more), it has plenty of reason to be aware of the dangers of stagnant water. A reliable source from within the company told us, “We are definitely aware of the need to keep water running through pipes and fixtures while rooms are closed. Even if a room is taken out of commission, our employees will continue to regularly run water through each room’s toilets, shower heads and sinks. The chlorination provided by the local water district kills Legionella bacteria, assuming water is regularly run through these fixtures.”
Dawn Christensen of the Southern Nevada Health District assured us, “This is something the resorts take very seriously and work closely with the SNHD. We provide training and resources to the resorts on prevention measures and actions,” even to the extent of having a dedicated Legionella division.
We hope that reassures you. Still, it might be the better part of caution to book your room in a hotel where all the rooms are open every day.
On the other hand, then you might worry about residual viruses from previous occupants.
In the end, all we can do is weigh risks, take whatever chances we must, and enjoy the fruits or suffer the consequences of our actions.
