Flu outbreak at Camp Glenburn sends kids, staff home early

More than 100 kids at a YMCA camp in Kingston, N.B., were sent home Friday after several came down with a stomach bug.

About 20 kids and staff at Camp Glenburn had symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, said Shilo Boucher, president and CEO of the YMCA of Saint John.

"It wasn't a fun experience for the kids and the staff, but they're all doing fine," she said on Saturday.

The campers, 104 of them between the ages of seven and 16, had arrived on Sunday. Some began to get sick Thursday night, and public health was called in, Boucher said.

Parents were notified early Friday morning, the day kids were scheduled to leave, and were asked to pick up their children as soon as possible.

"Someone brought in, basically, the flu to Camp Glenburn and it's a type of flu that spreads quite quickly," she said. "So we sent the campers home obviously, immediately for their safety."

Nobody hospitalized

A spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed public health is aware of the situation and is monitoring it.  

"Based on the symptoms and characteristics of the outbreak, public health officials believe it is most likely norovirus or Norwalk-like virus", said Bruce Macfarlane, communications director for the Department of Health.

Camp Glenburn has a nurse on site and a team well-trained for this type of incident, Boucher said. None of the campers required hospitalization, she said.

A new group of campers was scheduled to arrive Sunday, but the YMCA has decided to postpone the camp for a week to make sure their buildings and grounds are properly sanitized. Boucher said they will try to reschedule those campers for a week later in the summer.

"We have an amazing team and they're all working diligently to get it ready for the next set of campers."