Contagious Stomach Virus Caused a Widespread Illness in a Football Tourney in Las Vegas
A contagious stomach virus has reportedly being investigated to find out if it is the real cause of an outbreak that had affected the players, coaches and even parents who were in attendance during a football tournament in Las Vegas.
Approximately 100 individuals have developed flu-like symptoms, which include diarrhea and vomiting. The victims were brought to the hospital to receive treatment and medication. The symptoms reported were likely caused by norovirus
According to the spokesperson of the Southern Nevada Health District, Jorge Viote, the outbreak is still being looked into. Thus, the real reason of such outbreak is still vague as of the moment. Samples are being taken from the affected individuals to help the health officials identify and pin down the root cause of the epidemic.
"We are advising people to clean and wash their hands," said Viote when interviewed by The Associated Press. "They should take other precautions, otherwise the illness will spread," he added.
There were a total of 70 teams who have joined the National Youth Football Championships, and according to the representative of the tournament Justin Gates, at least 9 teams have been affected. Roughly 50 players from Santa Monica and 25 players from Bakersfield were unfortunate to have developed the said illness.
"They are saying that it is most likely the cause was already a sick player at home who came to the tournament," said Gates. "The best thing to do is to manage the situation with proper hand-washing and following sanitary rules," added Gates.
The football tournament last for four days. It has ended on Saturday.
The organisers of the football tournament are trying to work with the health officials. Further details will be revealed as soon as the investigation is over.
"There are a lot of factors that we do not know yet," said Gates.