This year’s JavaOne conference was everywhere. If you weren’t at it, you could catch the live webcasts, watch the repearts or, failing that, catch it in virtual world, Second Life. Usually we wouldn’t suggest you substitute the Second Life version of an event for the real one however, it looks like this year, those who did just that, may have been better off. Because putting up with Second Life’s server lag is probably a hell of a lot better than catching a stomach flu at the real thing.

Sun Microsystems and Java are proud to be virus-free however several staff and attendees at the JavaOne conference at the Moscone Convention Center in San Fransico managed to catch norovirus that caused vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

70 people in total were affected by the virus, which the San Fransico Department of Public Health first got wind of on Wednesday, three days after the conference commenced. 63 staff and 3 attendees picked up the virus that is apparently contracted and most commonly spread by food contaminated with vomit or fecal matter or contact with an infected individual. Norovirus usually lasts between 24 and 48 hours however, in some cases, it can last for up to five days.

Tickets for JavaOne can cost anywhere up to $2,350 and that’s not including what you’d have to shell out for travel and hotels if you’re from the East coast.

The conference has been running for the last 12 years and since it began in 1996, the venue hasn’t changed. While we can make all the jokes we want about Sun Microsystems and viruses it’s more likely to be the conference centre that suffers for this little episode.