While some kids get sick or injured, most of the millions of kids who go to summer camp come home safe and sound.
That wasn't the case for 19 camp counselors and 17 campers who developed histoplasmosis at a summer day camp in Nebraska though.
The CDC, in a new report, "Histoplasmosis Outbreak Among Day Camp Attendees - Nebraska, June 2012," describes how people at the camp likely became sick because of 'contamination of soil and picnic tables by bat guano, which likely became aerosolized during camp activities or clean-up before camper arrival.'
Histoplasmosis, although many people likely haven't heard of it, is a common fungal infection in many parts of the United States, particularly in the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. The CDC warns that 'exosure to aerosolized soil or guano in sites with bird or bat droppings can lead to histoplasmosis, should avoid such exposures, and should seek professional assistance for cleanup efforts.'
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CDC - Histoplasmosis
