Hugh Hefner Tweets About Playboy Mansion Outbreak

10:44 PM PST 2/15/2011 by THR staff

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Health officials now say that 200 people have fallen ill after attending a fundraising even there.

Health officials say that about 200 people have gotten sick after attending a fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion earlier this month, according to published reports.

Playboy Mansion Outbreak Claims 170 Victims

Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health say they suspect an outbreak of legionellosis, or Pontiac fever, following the Feb. 3 fundraiser at Hugh Hefner's Holmby Hills, Calif., home.

On Tuesday, Hefner tweeted about the outbreak.

"Despite rumors, there is no real evidence that anyone got I'll at the Playboy Mansion, but we're cooperating with health officials," he wrote.

He then added: "With no evidence to the contrary, the Health Department has approved a party previously scheduled here for this Saturday."

The fundraiser was held in conjunction with the annual DOMAINfest Global conference at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.

On Monday, the number of victims stood at about 170.

Those who have gotten sick are experiencing "symptoms mostly consisting of fever, chills, general discomfort (malaise) and some cough," according to the public health department.

Legionellosis is a milder form of Legionnaires' disease; it's caused by bacteria that grow in warm water, according to the Centers for Disease Control.