16 June 2009
Another Boy Scout Camp Hit With Swine Flu
Posted by admin under: Uncategorized; camps; safety .
John Boyle at Citizen-Times.com has the details.
Camp Daniel Boone workers will continue monitoring campers and staff throughout the summer after 47 people came down with symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus, or swine flu.
“We feel like we’re not over and done with it, and we’re going to monitor the situation throughout the summer,” said camp director Dan Rogers. “We don’t anticipate anything further, but like a good scout, we will be prepared.”
Haywood County Health Director Carmine Rocco said his department so far has received test results confirming three cases of the H1N1 virus at the camp last week, involving two campers from Florida and one from Georgia. Test results on four camp staff members should come back this afternoon.
But far more campers last week came down with flu symptoms, and Rocco said it’s a safe assumption they contracted the H1N1 virus because they were near the campers who had confirmed cases.
“The total we had ill by the end of the afternoon on Sunday was 47 — that includes campers and staff,” Rocco said.
About 700 campers who were at Camp Daniel Boone, which is in Haywood County, left over the weekend to return home. A new batch of about 700 Scouts arrived Sunday, and Rogers said Monday afternoon that no one else with symptoms had reported to the camp health lodge.
In Dunwoody, Ga., the assistant leader of a Boy Scout Troop 434 from All Saints Catholic Church troop said Sunday that seven scouts tested positive for swine flu. Ed Cerbone said seven other Scouts showed symptoms of the H1N1 virus, but all 14 were expected to recover.
The campers got sick after a week at Camp Daniel Boone. They were among campers who arrived June 7 and were planning to spend a week at the camp. On June 8, several scouts from a south Florida troop had temperatures in the low 100s and were experiencing mild flulike symptoms.
John Patrick, assistant scoutmaster with Troop 15 out of Charlotte, said Monday night there were eight members of the 50-member troop who didn’t come on the trip. Most of them were Scouts who had a family member who was ill and didn’t want to take a chance to become ill or cause their troop to become quarantined while at camp Daniel Boone.
“A couple of parents didn’t want to take any chances,” Patrick said. “Camp Daniel Boone staff has bent over backward to accommodate us. They tested us when we got here and before dinner tonight … there’s a lot of hand sanitizer around here.”
Workers have thoroughly cleaned the camp and distributed fliers encouraging safe hygiene measures such as frequent hand-washing. The arrival of 700 on Sunday is a fairly standard number for the camp, which draws Boy Scout troops from all over the United States, according to Connie Bowes, Daniel Boone Council executive director.
“A few people who were scheduled to come elected to stay home,” he said. “A few rescheduled for later in the summer.”
Bowes said the council sent letters home with campers who left over the weekend, and new arrivals were checked for symptoms before they came and as soon as they arrived. Staffers have used an infrared forehead thermometer to check for fevers, and they continue to monitor for any other symptoms.
“No one brought a sick child or anyone with an apparent illness,” Bowes said of this week’s campers. “We have continued to check our staff — we’re checking them daily — because they are the constant between week one and week two.”
Last week, 19 of 38 ill campers and staff went home, and the other 19 were placed in isolation to prevent the virus’ spread. Most of those who initially became ill were in the same campground area.
The camp has not closed down, and Bowes said there is no indication it should.
“We used disinfectants to clean all the bedding, the tents, the showers, the dining area — any place there’s any potential for exposure,” Bowes said.
Next week, more than 800 campers are expected. Over the summer, about 5,000 boys ages 11-18 will attend the camp.
Last week, campers came to Camp Daniel Boone from eight states — North and South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. So far, the states with confirmed cases appear to be Florida and Georgia.
Rocco said the virus is transmitted through droplet spread and respiratory means.
“Those folks who are ill with the virus, when they cough or sneeze, they can spread the virus to another person within close proximity — usually within six feet of another individual,” Rocco said. “They breathe in the virus, and they become infected. It’s the nature of having a large number of people in the same airspace.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Update: The American Camping Association has guidelines they recommend for dealing with Swine Flu or anything that looks like it. The guidelines are written for people operating the camp and cite the Centers for Disease Control recommendations. It seems to me that these guidelines are probably in the hands of your Scout’s camp director.
- H1N1 Swine Flu Hits Boy Scouts in Utah
- Swine Flu Spread to Colorado Scout Camp
- Gov Says Prepare for Flu Season
- The Importance of Cleanliness
- Disturbing Girl Scout Camp Trend
