300 campers infected with unknown virus

133 people had to be hospitalized on Saturday for a viral infection. According to authorities, around 300 people have been infected with the intestinal virus at a diabetes camp in Bad Segeberg.

07/10/2011

Enigmatic virus infections: Diabetic tent camp in Bad Segeberg ends with mass introduction to the hospital. 133 participants of the so-called Camp D had to be hospitalized because of a viral infection. According to recent information, about 300 people have been infected with the virus. Actually, the campers came to Bad Segeberg to inform themselves about the topic of diabetes, to exchange their experiences and to participate in various workshops. In the course of the "Sunday afternoon, the situation increasingly relaxed," as a spokesman said.

Numerous participants of the tent camp for diabetics complained of nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and stomach cramps, reports the rescue center in Norderstedt on Sunday. 133 campers had to be hospitalized for these health conditions. The cause is probably a viral infection, according to the rescue workers, but which viruses could have triggered exactly these, is so far completely unclear. According to a spokesman for the Rescue Coordination Center, the more commonly responsible Noroviruses are not the cause of the complaints among the participants of the camp.

Infection cause with the campers so far unclear
About 750 people took part in the tent camp, which has been running in Bad Segeberg since Thursday, to deal with the disease of diabetes together. Until Sunday, the participants wanted to share their experiences with diabetes in various workshops. But for 132 campers, the so-called Camp D ends Sunday night in the hospital. They apparently had contracted a viral infection that caused massive nausea, including vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Initially, the rescuers suspected an infection with norovirus as a possible cause, but this has not confirmed the rescue center Norderstedt. The search for the possible trigger therefore continues, while those affected are initially stabilized in the hospital. "The situation is currently stable," said a spokesman for the University of Schleswig-Holstein. Marie-Luise Krompholz, spokeswoman for the co-organizer "Novo Nordisk", confirmed that half of the patients admitted have already left the hospital. In the course of Saturday, only a few young people complained of the complaints. After the sporting event, the number of sufferers was increasing rapidly. Now "one has only isolated cases," it said.

Increased risk of infection in community facilities
In community facilities, there is a general increased risk of infection for a variety of pathogens, since many people live relatively close together and often share the hygiene facilities as. This increases the risk of transmitting a wide variety of pathogens, which in the worst case lead to similarly serious mass infections, as is currently the case in the tent camp in Bad Segeberg. The actual cause of infection, ie the virus or the bacteria responsible for the occurrence of the health problems, can not be found relatively often despite intensive search. (Fp)

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Picture: Günther Richter