Camp officials questioned over flu outbreak

PORTLAND, Ore. – Officials for a Christian youth summer camp in Central Oregon are facing questions about how they handled an H1N1 swine flu outbreak that caused the temporary closure of the facility.

There are up to 80 confirmed cases from the Young Life Washington Family Ranch camp near Madras, according to the most recent figures provided by Oregon Public Health officials. More than 700 campers from several states were there last week.

In a message posted on the camp’s Web site, camp officials said they started seeing campers on Wednesday with what they believed was Type A Influenza, of which H1N1 or swine flu is a variant. In less than 48 hours, that number had climbed to 30.

But parent Doug Doering said camp officials never notified him or his 15-year-old daughter's mother that the girl had become sick with possible swine flu and that there was an outbreak at the camp.

"She had a 105 temperature before they put her on the bus," he said. Her symptoms now include vomiting, congestion and sinus issues.

"There should have been some kind of protocol here to handle any situation like that when there are that many kids," he said.

Camp officials said they contacted state and local health officials for guidance and tried to contain the virus by sending sick campers and leaders home, isolating those thought to be contagious and sterilizing surfaces most likely to carry the virus, according to the Web site message. However, the number of cases continued to rise despite those efforts.

Terry Swenson, a Young Life spokesman, said the organization plans to do a better job of keeping parents informed in the future.

"The strategy is to make sure there is a person in every community who has in their hands the contact information for all of the parents," he said, "and that person can help us communicate with parents."

Doering said he's glad the organization is taking the matter seriously.

"I hope this doesn't hurt the program," he said "I just hope that they do what's right and make sure they take care of things as soon as possible when something like this happens."

All but camp staff were sent home by Saturday, when a week-long effort to sanitize the facility began. READ A LETTER SENT HOME WITH CAMPERS

Though H1N1 swine flu is highly contagious, its symptoms and duration are similar to other seasonal strains of flu, camp officials said on the Web site. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, more than 140 countries have reported swine flu cases as part of the global pandemic. The United States continues to report the largest number of cases of any country worldwide, the CDC says. However, most people who have become ill have recovered without requiring medical treatment.

Staff hope to have the camp reopened by Friday.