State health officials were investigating Thursday how 79 Boy Scouts became ill with a virus at a summer camp in Elbert County.
Most of the sick campers, who experienced vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps, remained at the camp to recover while 17 went home. One Scout was sent to Parker Adventist Hospital and released.
Officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment were at the Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch on Thursday trying to determine whether the outbreak was food-borne or spread person-to-person.
John Pape, a state epidemiologist, said the virus, most likely the Norwalk virus, is not uncommon in camp settings where people are crowded together.
“There are kids out in the field, so you can imagine their hygiene isn’t as ideal as we would like,” Pape said.
He said proper hand-washing and food-handling are easy ways to halt the spread of the virus. Health officials sanitized areas of the camp and collected samples to be analyzed in a laboratory. Pape said the samples were expected to arrive Thursday night and that results could be available today.
Pape said people should not worry too much about the virus.
“Basically, people get sick and they feel pretty bad for a day, and then they get better,” he said.
Cory McKee, marketing director for the Denver Area Council of Boy Scouts, said a similar virus broke out at the camp last summer. Twenty-five staff members were affected, but no Scouts.
She called the camp a “typical Boy Scout camp” with swimming, horseback riding, arts and crafts, nature hikes and archery.
Staff writer Abbe Smith can be reached at 303-820-1201 or asmith@denverpost.com.
