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UTAH COUNTY -- Camp has been canceled for hundreds of Boy Scouts after a staff member at Camp Maple Dell was diagnosed with the swine flu.
Monday was schedule to be the first day of camp for about 40 Boy Scout troops and up to 450 Boy Scouts; but before they ever left for camp, they were told to stay home.
Staffers at Camp Maple Dell had just finished a week of training to get ready for the summer season, when Scout leaders were notified on Friday that a staffer who went home sick earlier in the week had tested positive for the H1N1 virus.
There were about 80 other staffers at the camp last week who were possibly exposed to the virus.
Leaders of the Utah National Parks Council, which operates Camp Maple Dell, had discussions with the Utah County Health Department and, on the recommendation from the health department, decided to close the camp for a week.
John Gailey, spokesman for the Utah National Parks Council, said, "A camp certainly could turn into a situation where you have a lot of boys from many locations, even out of state, coming there and taking it back to their hometowns, and so we want to stop that and make sure that doesn't happen, and hopefully we have."
The health department recommended the Scouts send the staff home and close up for cleaning and to make sure no one else gets sick. So far, no one else is showing symptoms.
If that continues to be the case for a few more days, the staff will be considered in the clear said National Parks Council Executive Director Steve Royster. "If there was no illness to them by Wednesday, [the health department said] that they were free to return to normal activity and come back to camp on Sunday to go to work," he said.
If all goes well, Camp Maple Dell should reopen to staff next Sunday and campers next Monday.
Royster says all of the campers who would have stayed there this week are being taken care of. "We contacted [each troop] on Saturday and have relocated them for future weeks or in other camps."
Royster says the staff member who got sick began feeling ill toward the middle of the week. He left camp early and was diagnosed by a doctor sometime on Friday. He is said to be recovering well and may be able to rejoin the staff later in the summer.
Meantime, Royster says the Scouts are following the recommendations of the health department to prevent the spread of the flu.
The Utah Department of Health has confirmed 713 cases of H1N1 "swine" flu in the state so far. Two people have died, although both are said to have had underlying health conditions. You can find the CDC's recommendations for preventing the spread of any flu here.
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Story compiled with contributions from Becky Bruce and Sam Penrod.
