Lac Vieux Desert Resort, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has closed its hotel following confirmation that one of its guests has contracted Legionnaires’ disease.
Tests of the 132-room Dancing Eagles Hotel have affirmed the presence of dangerous Legionella pneumonia bacteria; the resort’s restaurant and casino remain open, since their water systems, independent from that of the hotel, tested negative for Legionella.
At this point in time, since only a single Legionnaires’ disease case has been confirmed, officials are thus not classifying this as an outbreak.
When Legionnaires’ Disease Contaminates Resort Casinos
Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks are not uncommon in resort casinos, due to their complex water systems that typically serve hundreds of guest rooms across many high-rise stories. In the summer of 2011, a serious outbreak occurred at Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, sickening 5 guests (a 6th guest falsely claimed to have caught LD). The Southern Nevada Health District concluded that the victims most likely inhaled the Legionella-contaminated water vapor while showering. The victims filed a $337 million lawsuit against the hotel (Taylor et al. v. Aria Resort et al., case number 2:11-cv-01360, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada).
The next year, 2012, witnessed another outbreak at the 4,400-room Luxor Las Vegas resort and casino. 3 guests contracted the disease, one of whom died.
Recent Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks include the following:
- The Opera House Hotel in South Bronx, New York
- The Best Western in Hannibal, Missouri
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Altamonte, Florida
- Super 8 in Lacey, Washington.
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