Polo Towers Legionnaires Disease Again

From today's Channel 8 news:

Polo Towers had another instance of Legionaire's Disease perhaps ten years ago...


(I'm putting this on Exchanging deliberately instead of Western because people who have already completed their visits probably wouldn't be as likely to check Western as Exchanging.)


Fern

Fern Modena said:

From today's Channel 8 news:

The Southern Nevada Health District has a warning for people who have stayed at the Polo Towers on the Las Vegas Strip, after four people who stayed there were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease.
The health district says the two recent cases came from visitors who stayed there in August and September. Two others were diagnosed in 2007.

Read the letter from the health district​

The health district and the CDC got water samples, and preliminary tests results show the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' was in the water.
The symptoms of Legionnaires' disease are fever, chills, dry cough, muscle aches, headache, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting.
If you have stayed at the Polo Towers in the last 14 days and develop symptoms, you will need to get a letter from the health district stating you became sick while staying at the towers.
Call (702) 759-INFO for more information.



​

Polo Towers had another instance of Legionaire's Disease perhaps ten years ago...


(I'm putting this on Exchanging deliberately instead of Western because people who have already completed their visits probably wouldn't be as likely to check Western as Exchanging.)


Fern

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This is more than a little interesting to me. Especially since PT's owners paid a SA after the first outbreak the was SUPPOSE to put in a new water treatment system to PREVENT this from ever happening again.

This really makes me, as an owner, wonder what happened to the SA money that should have been spent on the water treatment, upgraded security and the family water park. BTW, it only took something over TWO years and a lot of complaints for that water park to be put in.

Something is rotten in the state of DRI.

dougp26364 said:

This is more than a little interesting to me. Especially since PT's owners paid a SA after the first outbreak the was SUPPOSE to put in a new water treatment system to PREVENT this from ever happening again.

This really makes me, as an owner, wonder what happened to the SA money that should have been spent on the water treatment, upgraded security and the family water park. BTW, it only took something over TWO years and a lot of complaints for that water park to be put in.

Something is rotten in the state of DRI.

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Why don't you ask about it at the DRI message board??

Fern, was pretty close in her posting guessing that it was nearing 10 years ago that a Legionnaires' out break first occurred at the Polo Towers. It occurred in 2001.

Doug is correct about that special assessment and the link below states at that time they were going to upgrade the system and be pro active. It was mentioned in the last paragraph of that Diamond press release back in 2001.

This one plus the other out break back in 2007 mentioned in one gentleman’s post at TS Forums plus this new out break of Legionnaires' disease seems to make it 3 times that this has occurred at the Polo Towers under the Diamond group management.

I was a owner at that time back in 2001 of a one bedroom EOY at the Polo Towers and had to pay a special assessment.

What bugs me is the press release is that the management wanted a pat on the back for being reactive instead of proactive in regards to the guests health and safety. In fact in at that press release they said they would become proactive in the last paragraph. Do they mean after 3 out breaks.

In baseball a batter gets 3 strikes and then they are out.

Well this is the third time that this management group failed.

There are certain portions from the Polo Press release I wish I could post but am I am correct that we can not quote something that was posted elsewhere, or is it the whole articale we can not quote?

One portion shows of that press shows what they feel about what happened and what they value. They brag that their marketing group "Preformed Brilliantly" in regards to sales and profits for that week.

This was put out as on August 24, 2001.

FEATURE: An Exercise In Crisis Management

http://www.thetimesharebeat.com/archives/2001/ts/tshaug95.htm .


Bruce

We are scheduled to check into Polo Towers on Saturday. We just got a voice mail notifying us that there have been 4 cases of Legionnaires Disease again at Polo Towers. Two were in 2007, one in August of this year and one in September. The CDC evidently notified Polo recently. They did water testing that came back positive. It has been treated and cleared and they are continuing to test weekly. I called back the phone number but for more information but didn't get too much more. They are trying to relocate people who wish to relocate but don't know where that would be. Now I don't know what to do. They said many people are staying there since it has been found and cleaned up and is now okay. If you elect to be relocated, you won't know where you will end up until you arrive to check in. The only information I could get from one employee was that they are relocating people to the Cancun which is way too far away to be able to walk to the Strip. From what I could see of their website i think we would be bored very quickly staying there. Another employee mentioned putting people at hotels but didn't say where. I really wanted a kitchen, we cook many of our meals. Another employee said they weren't using any hotels near there. The information on the internet just indicates the CDC is asking for people who have stayed there in the past 14 days to see a doctor if they develop flu/cold like symptoms and stuff to that effect. That it was confined to 4 rooms that have been sealed off.

Is there anyone there that knows more. Is it really safe to stay there now? I just hate to have my son and daughter-in-law stay there even if we opted to risk it. Nothing says how much risk there is if you stay or what restrictions there may be. Like did they close the pool and hot tub? or are they still safe to use if you stay there.

I stayed there from October 4th to October 11th and there was no sign of any problems at all. Our unit was newly refurbished and spotless and nobody we spoke to had any cause for complaint.

T_R_Oglodyte said:

Why don't you ask about it at the DRI message board??

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Posts to that forum must be pre-approved. I sort of doubt that it would go very far and, at this point, it's not worth it for me to ask.

dougp26364 said:

Posts to that forum must be pre-approved. I sort of doubt that it would go very far and, at this point, it's not worth it for me to ask.

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Though it is moderated, I have been quite surprised at what gets approved by the moderators; as far as I can tell there is no editing and posts that are highly critical of DRI are allowed to post unedited. The only refereeing that seems to occur is regarding DRI operations. Those seem to get held until they can do fact-checking, and once checked if there are problems they don't edit the post; instead they simultaneously post a reply.

The reason I suggested posting there is because the post is very likely to be approved and often it seems that Board is the fastest way to get a response.

Have anyone check with the local health department to see was the upgrade to the water system completed in 2001 to prevent the problem?

I spent quite a bit of time trying to get more information about where they placing people and what is going on. The 4 rooms were in tower 2, that is where our unit is. They are going to be probably going be emptying out tower two so they can do more flushing it sounded like she said. Sounds like they need to do more flushing or work on the water sytstem. Packets that I was told were mailed out still haven't arrived. Information that news articles said was being posted on the their website. I don't see it. Lately they have also been placing people at Luxor and Monte Carlo - don't think they even have coffee makers in the rooms let alone some kind of kitchen. Anyway-the good new for us was that after being on hold for a long time we finally got through and located a 2bedroom Jockey Club where we also own (at owner's bonus rates). Then after many attemts by the operator (don't know everything that may have been mismanaged or done wrong by upper managment but the rest of the troops are doing their best in a difficult situation) to locate a live body that could take the call (they are going a little nuts over there), got things worked out, got through to Jockey Club again while on the phone with Polo and got all the confirmation numbers worked out. So what relief, we have a place to stay....at our other timeshare on the strip. Now I need a drink.....