Swine flu halts muscular dystrophy camps

Thousands of Jerry's Kids will not attend camps this summer after officials halted the program in the face of 17 suspected swine-flu cases among campers, including six in Montgomery County.

The cancellation, which came after about 1,800 attended 33 camps, affects 2,500 children scheduled to attend 47 other camps.

The children's hereditary muscle weakness and compromised immune systems leave them vulnerable to the H1N1 strain of influenza, Muscular Dystrophy Association officials said.

"It's disappointing, but the main consideration was the safety of the kids," said Bob Mackle, vice president of public relations for the nonprofit organization, known for its celebrity spokesman, comedian Jerry Lewis.

MDA medical director Valerie Cwik said the use of prednisone to treat some forms of muscular dystrophy suppresses children's immune systems, compounding the danger.

"They're more vulnerable to infections of all sorts," she said. "Because some of them have weakened respiratory muscles, there's also an increased risk of pneumonia."

Ten cases of swine flu were reported among campers after a week-long program in Minnesota. Another camper was hospitalized and later released after attending a Utah camp.

Last week, six suspected cases were reported during the Variety Club Camp in Worcester, Montgomery County.

Daniel Schaefer, 11, said he and his friends did not know it was swine flu until after the Pennsylvania camp ended Saturday.

"I knew one kid who got sick," he said. "I didn't know what it was. He just kind of had a cough, and I thought it would go away."

Known as Tiger to his friends and camp staff, Daniel said campers looked forward to the week-long sojourn all year.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "You make a lot of friends there and do activities like swimming [and] the campfire."

His father, Don, said the MDA had given him the option of pulling his son from the camp after the first cases occurred, but he decided to let him stay.

"The swine flu wouldn't have scared" his son, he said. "It'd take more than that to get him out of camp."

Swine flu is not only a problem for individuals with compromised immune systems. The World Health Organization has confirmed about 55,900 cases since the outbreak began, and has attributed 238 deaths to the virus.

Last week, 19 campers tested positive for the virus during three Boy Scout camps in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

The Pennsylvania and New Jersey Departments of Health released guidelines for preventing and handling H1N1 cases at summer camps at the start of the season. Their chief recommendations included screening counselors and children as they arrive, encouraging hand-washing, and immediately separating and reporting individuals with flu-like symptoms to state authorities.

Michelle Hengey, director of marketing and public relations at the Lansdowne YMCA, said a letter sent to parents had advised them of hygienic practices that could prevent the spread of the virus.

"We just wanted to remind parents of things they can do to keep the germs out of the center," she said.

Buffy Demain of Tall Pines Camp in Williamstown said her facility has two nurses on staff every day who encourage children to wash their hands before and after meals.

"We haven't done anything we wouldn't do normally," she said. "We just try to keep everyone sanitized as best we can."

Cwik said the MDA camps had taken every precaution, including screening every person who entered.

"One of the problems is that you can be contagious a day or so before you show any symptoms," she said. "Someone who came to camp on the day of check-in could feel totally fine and already be spreading it to others."

The Tucson, Ariz.-based organization, which has more than 200 offices nationwide and sponsors 220 hospital-affiliated muscular-dystrophy clinics, is trying to organize alternative activities for later in the summer and fall.

This is the first time the MDA summer program has been canceled since it started in 1955, Mackle said.

"This is disheartening for everyone here," he said. "Most people here have been to the summer camps or worked there, so there's a real appreciation for how heartbreaking this is for the kids and their families."