Tests to identify an illness that struck more than 200 guests and staff at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel at the end of October appear to confirm an earlier suspicion that it was a form of Norovirus, such as the Norwalk virus commonly known as the "winter vomiting disease".

A lengthy investigation and testing for samples both here and at overseas laboratories point to the Norovirus family of viruses as being the most likely cause of the sudden sickness that hit so many guests.

It is not known if the virus originated at the hotel or was introduced by a visiting guest.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said: "We have no evidence of the virus being spread through water or food. If it was contact spread then one individual could have spread it in that environment."

The hotel was hosting a number of conferences, including a gathering of doctors and medical professionals at the Ninth International Conference on Mechanisms and Treatment of Neuropathic Pain, putting large numbers of guests in close contact with one another making it easier for the contagious virus to spread.

A total of 205 people, made up of 171 guests and 34 staff, are known to have been affected by the illness, with a number needing hospital treatment in Bermuda or as they returned to their homes overseas.

The outbreak ended some weeks ago. The hotel has worked in co-operation with the Department of Health introducing new precautionary routines and practices to lessen the likelihood of a reoccurrence of the illness.

"The hotel put a number of measures in place to eliminate the spread of viruses and I would encourage other facilities to think of these things as we prepare for the possibility of pandemic flu," said Dr. Cann.

"We are still waiting for a couple of lab specimens to return, although we have completed our analysis of the information that we have. At least 205 people are known to have been affected, but in all situations like this not all the individuals affected have reported to the hotel or to us."