Detainees at the Clark County Detention Center spray surfaces in an exercise area with an anti-viral fluid. An outbreak of norovirus caused about 180 inmates at the jail to become sick this week. Photo by Gary Thompson.
There was something off about District Judge David Wall's morning court schedule on Wednesday.
There were no defendants.
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An outbreak of norovirus at the Clark County Detention Center that affected at least 180 detainees disrupted court proceedings at the Regional Justice Center. Some judges rescheduled inmates' sentencing hearings.
In some cases, healthy inmates were brought to the court. But in other instances, inmates had to appear before the court via teleconference.
"Unfortunately there's a lot of sick people in the jail right now, and no one wants them in court to infect a whole lot more people," said Clark County Public Defender Phil Kohn.
He said some of his attorneys haven't been able to see their clients at the jail because of the outbreak. Lawyers could still speak to their clients by phone, he said.
While he didn't want people languishing in jail when they are legally entitled to be released, Kohn said no one wants the virus running rampant throughout the court affecting witnesses, jurors, victims and attorneys.
The norovirus is highly contagious and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, low-grade fevers, aches and chills. The symptoms usually appear within one or two days of exposure and normally last for 24 to 72 hours.
Inmates with those symptoms were first noticed at the jail on Saturday night. The jail called the Clark County Health District within hours, and the health district soon diagnosed the illness as norovirus.
Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief LeRoy Kirkegard, who oversees the jail, said 180 inmates had been infected with the virus, including 20 new cases discovered Tuesday night.
By Wednesday, 30 to 50 inmates had symptoms of the virus, said Robert Hunter, medical director for the jail. Most inmates had minor symptoms, and only one required an IV for rehydration.
The staff at the jail wasn't immune to the virus. About 22 officers and civilian staffers were home sick with the virus Tuesday.
Brian Labus, a senior epidemiologist with the health district, said the virus is common.
In December and January, there were outbreaks of norovirus in Southern Nevada, and the jail outbreak probably began with an infected person entering the facility, Labus said.
"They go into the facility and bring it with them," he said.
Inmates who showed symptoms were kept in their cells and weren't allowed in common areas, Kirkegard said.
"We've communicated with the inmates," he said. "Of course, they're in an enclosed environment, and they're scared."
The jail remained in lockdown Wednesday, and inmate visitation was canceled.
Daphne Johnson, 45, went to the jail Wednesday to visit her husband, Samuel Lockhart, 48, who is being detained for petty larceny. Johnson said she was worried when she heard that inmates were infected with the virus.
"I said, 'Oh, my God.' I wondered how that could have happened," she said.
Inmates weren't moved or isolated to a special medical ward because of security or logistical reasons, Hunter said.
"In an ideal or perfect world, it would be good to quarantine them off into certain areas. But because there are so many other security issues, like gang affiliations, you can't just do that," he said.
About 3,300 inmates are at the jail. The jail was built to house 2,857 inmates.
Prison officials said they were taking steps to decontaminate the detention center and prevent another outbreak.
About 25 inmates wearing protective clothing sprayed down jail walls, doors, tables and other surfaces with chemicals to kill the virus.
Clothing was laundered, and some items, such as books, were thrown out to prevent the virus from spreading.
The jail kitchen was decontaminated after the serving of each meal. Though inmates don't cook the meals, they often serve food, and the virus could spread if an infected inmate touched food.
The jail is prohibiting all inmates from handling food in the kitchen and are contracting kitchen services.
Officials expect to continue their cleaning procedures for at least a week.
"We're making good progress" in controlling the spread and eliminating the virus, Kirkegard said.
Review-Journal writer Carri Geer Thevenot contributed to this report.
NOROVIRUS SECOND-MOST COMMON IN U.S.
A norovirus that caused roughly 200 Las Vegas jail inmates and guards to become ill this week probably spread from someone within the community, which isn't surprising considering a recent community-wide outbreak, health officials said Wednesday.
Since December, the Southern Nevada Health District has received reports of hundreds of gastroenteritis cases from throughout the Las Vegas Valley, said Brian Labus, senior epidemiologist.
"With what's happened in the community, it's not uncommon that it (norovirus) made its way into the jail,'' he said. "This is a minor virus but pretty common."
Norovirus is the second-most common virus reported in the United States, behind the common cold.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that norovirus causes an estimated 23 million cases of acute gastroenteritis nationwide each year. It usually runs its course in 72 hours but has caused deaths in those in fragile health, such as senior citizens and the very young.
Norovirus is a number of viruses found in the stool and vomit of infected people. It is highly contagious and spreads by people eating or drinking contaminated food and liquids, touching contaminated surfaces or having direct contact with someone who is infected.
Though not considered serious, it can be a discomfort, with people vomiting several times a day for up to 48 hours.
Other symptoms include nausea, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Some might experience a low-grade fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches and a general sense of tiredness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"One major side effect would be the potential for dehydration,'' said Carolyn Ford-Trudo, infection control coordinator at Valley Hospital Medical Center. "There is no treatment for norovirus except for replacing the electrolytes lost when vomiting.''
People who are dehydrated are given an IV.
To avoid dehydration, people should drink plenty of fluids such as Gatorade or Pedialyte to replenish electrolytes as soon as they can hold something down, Ford-Trudo said.
Labus said jails or prisons are no more at risk of experiencing a norovirus outbreak than a school or hotel.
But the spread of the virus depends on layout. Inmates who share cells with others are at greater risk of getting the virus than an inmate who doesn't share one.
Although the virus was spread throughout the jail, a large concentration of the infected worked in the kitchen, Labus said.
