Health & Safety

Staying Healthy

By and large, Las Vegas is like most other major American cities in that the water is relatively clean, the air is relatively clear, and illness-bearing insects and animals are rare. However, in a city with this many people coming and going from all over the world, there are a couple of specific concerns worth noting.

Over the past few years, there have been a few outbreaks of norovirus at Las Vegas hotels. This virus, most commonly associated with cruise ships, is rarely serious but can turn your vacation into a very unpleasant experience of intestinal illness. Because it is spread by contact, you can protect yourself by washing your hands often, especially after touching all of those slot machines.

Food preparation guidelines in Las Vegas are among the strictest in the world, but when you're dealing with the sheer volume that this city is, you're bound to run into trouble every now and then. All restaurants are required by law to display a health certificate and letter grade (A, B, or C) that indicates how well they did on their last inspection. An A grade doesn't mean you will never get food poisoning, but it does mean they do a better-than-average job in the kitchen.

Las Vegas is the desert and the sun exposure is high. On sunny days, you can fry within minutes, and even on cloudy days burns are possible. During the summer, slather up with sunscreen before heading to the pool or even if you may be walking more than a few minutes outside. Don't believe us? Look at that lobster-red person moving uneasily at the craps table next to you. If you intend to do any kind of walking, even on the Strip, during the hot days, drink lots of water. This is especially important if you go out to Red Rock or Valley of the Fire.

General Availability of Health Care -- Contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) (tel. 716/754-4883 or, in Canada, 416/652-0137; www.iamat.org) for tips on travel and health concerns, and for lists of local doctors. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (tel. 800/311-3435; www.cdc.gov) provides up-to-date information on health hazards by region or country and offers tips on food safety. The website www.tripprep.com, sponsored by a consortium of travel medicine practitioners, Travel Health Online, may also offer helpful advice.

What to do if you get Sick Away from Home -- We list hospitals, urgent care centers, and emergency numbers under "Fast Facts: Las Vegas". For physician referrals, call Desert Springs Hospital (tel. 702/388-4888) Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturday from 9am to 3pm, except holidays, or 24 hours a day online at www.desertspringshospital.net.

If you suffer from a chronic illness, consult your doctor before your departure. Pack prescription medications in your carry-on luggage, and carry them in their original containers, with pharmacy labels -- otherwise they won't make it through airport security. Visitors from outside the U.S. should carry generic names of prescription drugs. For U.S. travelers, most reliable health-care plans provide coverage if you get sick away from home. Foreign visitors may have to pay all medical costs up front and be reimbursed later.

Staying Safe

CSI, one of the nation's top-rated TV shows, may turn up new corpses each week, but the crime rate in real-life Vegas isn't higher than in any other major metropolis of its size.

With all that cash floating around town, pickpockets and thieves are predictably active, so keep an eye on your belongings and store valuables in your in-room safe or a hotel safe-deposit box. And don't flash your cash; it might attract the wrong kind of attention, and your big bucks will go bye-bye.