Camps prepare for the flu By Nanci Bompey WNC Parent writer
Most parents don’t think about their child getting the flu when they send them off to summer camp, but all that changed last year. The H1N1, or swine, flu sickened campers around the country, including dozens in Western North Carolina. The virus spread easily among staff and campers who come from around the country and are living, playing and eating in close quarters. Camps started taking temperatures of every camper, isolating those who were sick and putting out bottles of hand sanitizer. “It did change how camps were run last summer,” said Sue Ellen Morrison, disease control specialist at the Buncombe County Department of Health. This year, local camps are once again getting ready to fight the flu. Camp Daniel Boone, the Boy Scout camp in Canton, is following measures similar to the ones it implemented last summer after dozens of scouts fell ill. These measures include encouraging sick campers to stay home, taking temperatures when campers arrive and throughout the week they are at camp, isolating sick campers, putting out hand sanitizers and encouraging good personal hygiene. The camp is encouraging campers to get the H1N1 vaccine. The camp is also reviewing guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and talking to local health officials. This year, the camp is offering cancellation insurance for campers. The camp spent a few thousand dollars in refunds last year, said Connie Bowes, CEO of the Daniel Boone Council. “If you know your child is sick, don’t send them to camp,” he said. Continues on Page 11
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