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- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 8 months ago by
Amanda Cook.
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June 5, 2022 at 3:20 am #45301
Amanda Cook
MemberI provide external health support for a residential camp in the South, and we are a week into welcoming our first group of campers. They are already seeing more activity at the health center than in the past couple years. Strep is making rounds again, and we have at least one ringworm that’s been flying under the radar, as of this weekend.
The informal patterns I’ve noticed so far:
1) Parents are being less honest with us prior to and at check-in, compared to past years. Our first case of strep was diagnosed the day they arrived. It is difficult to believe they did not have prodromal symptoms at home. The case of ringworm had a known history of recurrent infection that was not noted on any health forms or at check-in, and no medications were sent with them.
2) Everyone seems to be becoming more lax with infection control all around. If we’re starting to pass around more illnesses, that tells me we’re likely not following our procedures that helped limit these issues the previous two years.
I’m sharing these observations for camps that may not be starting up for another week or two. Your health staff and admin will want to be on extra alert for potentially contagious campers whose parents may try to slip through the cracks. I know we’re all tired of enforcing infection control, but it would also be a good idea to emphasize its continued importance to all staff in hopes of limiting issues this summer. Good luck, and happy start to camp season!
June 7, 2022 at 3:49 am #45306Carrie Smith
ParticipantThanks for this! I live in the south and work for a camp that will run in NH this summer. The different approaches to infection prevention are astounding – like the need doesn’t exist in SC. Meanwhile, for NH, we are asking families to symptom check/track and COVID test pre-arrival and upon arrival to camp. Your experience this far reinforces the importance of holding to our infection control/prevention policies as staff and campers begin to arrive. I hope you are catching the majority of illness! Carrie
June 7, 2022 at 11:32 am #45311Tracey Gaslin
MemberAmanda:
Thanks for sharing your early experience. I agree with Astrid – knowing what others are encountering can be helpful as we work to hold the line on communicable disease activities. There is so much to be learned from the last couple of years – especially about our human behaviors when we are asked to do something out of our comfort zone. Right? We might say we are open to change, but in reality, change sometimes hits us like a weight of bricks and we feel trapped and not sure how to move forward. I think your insight regarding parent behavior is on target – we are doing some early research about parental decision-making and asking early questions about drivers of decision-making. It is going to be interesting for sure.
Best to you all for summer 2022! I am looking forward to being at camp myself in just a few weeks.
Tracey GaslinJune 7, 2022 at 8:52 pm #45317Amanda Cook
MemberI’m glad this was helpful and possibly on par with what you’re seeing in the research, Tracey. I will be very interested to see those final results. This same form of dishonesty has been happening in clinics, school, and workplaces for months (in this part of the country, at least), so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised the same behaviors would occur at camp. It’s still disheartening, though.
Yes, Astrid, the differences in approach to infection control sometimes feel like separate worlds. I’m very happy that you’ve found a camp that plans to maintain good procedures and that hopefully our experiences here provides some evidence to encourage everyone there to stick with them.
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