At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, SFist received word today about a possible virus outbreak in San Francisco. It's the Norovirus, a common cause of the stomach flu, which is "transmitted by faecally contaminated food or water [Ew! -- SFist] and by person-to-person contact."

Thankfully, the JavaOne conference team at Moscone Center was notified before any citizens. Check it:

The JavaOne conference team has been notified by the San Francisco Department of Public Health about an identified outbreak of a virus in the San Francisco area. Testing is still underway to identify the specific virus in question, but they believe it to be the Norovirus, a common cause of the "stomach flu", which can cause temporary flu-like symptoms for up to 48 hours. Part of the San Francisco area impacted includes the Moscone Center, the site of the JavaOne conference which is being held this week. We are working with the appropriate San Francisco Department of Public Health and Moscone representatives to mitigate the impact this will have on the conference and steps are being taken overnight to disinfect the facility. We have not received any indication that the show should end early, so will have the full schedule of events on Friday as planned. We hope to see you then.

For further information, as well as Frequently Asked Questions related to the Norovirus, please visit the San Francisco Department of Public Health website at http://sfcdcp.org/norovirus.cfm

Update: The Gate has more on the Moscone Center bug, which has led to violent diarrhea and vomiting. [insert your own joke here]

Micrograph of the noroviruses: Wikicommons