Schools
YMCA's Camp Seymour Shuts Down After Kids Exhibit Norovirus Symptoms
A spokeswoman says 66 kids and 13 staffers started to exhibit flu-like symptoms Wednesday night at the popular Key Peninsula camp.
The YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties has shut down Camp Seymour after 66 campers and 13 staffers became ill with symptoms of the Norovirus on Wednesday.
Spokesman Michelle Larue confirmed today that the camp is now quarantined, and parents for all 250 or so campers have been notified to pick up their children.
She added that whatever made the campers sick doesn't seem to be food-related. The YMCA gets its food for all of its programs from two centers, and no other children have gotten sick. Also, Seymour's day camp participants don't appear to be sick.
On Thursday, Edie Jeffers, spokeswoman for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, told Patch that a parent contacted the health department to report that a child was sick.
The YMCA is cleaning surfaces and sanitizing the camp, Jeffers said.
"They're going through the process right now," she said.
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The Norovirus causes inflammation in a person's stomach and intestines, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Most of the people who have gotten sick have symptoms such as vomiting, Larue said, adding the symptoms appear to last 15 to 18 hours.
The YMCA is working with the health department, and it hopes to reopen the camp by Sunday, she said. As for the campers, the YMCA is offering another stay at camp later this season free of charge.
"Our hearts go out to the kids," Larue said.
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