E. coli closes Rockbridge Co. Boy Scout camp

Associated Press

Published: August 4, 2008

GOSHEN, Va. (AP) — Boy Scout officials have closed a popular camp in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains where more than a dozen Boy Scouts and one adult contracted an E. coli infection.

The Goshen Scout Reservation in Rockbridge County hosted several thousand scouts and adult leaders and staff starting late last month. At least 17 Boy Scouts and one adult became ill, including three scouts who attended the camp last week.

Alan Lambert, executive of the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said Sunday the source of the outbreak remains unknown.

The camp will remain closed until further notice, Lambert said.

``Our Council immediately decided that closing Goshen Scout Reservation was in the best interest of the Scouts, adult leaders and our camp staff,’’ Lambert said. ``We have alerted the Virginia Department of Health of this decision and continue to cooperate fully with VDH officials.

The 4,000-acre camp, located between Lexington and Staunton in western Virginia, includes Lake Merriweather.

Nearly 1,500 scouts and adult leaders and 200 staff were at the camp from July 20-26, and 1,310 scouts and leaders attended last week, the National Capital Area Council said.

Public health officials who visited the camp examined its food handling and storage practices and recommended changes, said Robert Hicks, director of the Office of Environmental Health Services.

E. coli can cause stomach cramps, watery bloody diarrhea, and fever and chills. In severe cases, the infection can damage organs such as kidneys.

Outbreaks are most commonly caused by undercooked contaminated ground beef. Possible sources also include unwashed greens, swimming in contaminated water, and food fouled by preparers who haven’t washed their hands.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that E. coli sickens about 73,000 people and kills 61 each year in the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems, such as the elderly or very young.