Parents picked up 130 children from a summer camp on Tuesday after one of the counselors was confirmed positive for H1N1 influenza on Monday.
Camp Gray, at Lake Delton, will be closed for two weeks until camp resumes on July 5, said Brent King, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Madison.
The number of total confirmed cases in Wisconsin rose to 4,291 this week, up from 3,407 a week ago, according to state Department of Health Services data. There are currently 373 confirmed cases of swine flu in Dane County, seven of which have been serious enough for hospitalization.
"It’s still circulating, and that’s something we don’t normally have with seasonal flu," said Seth Boffeli, spokesman for the state health department.
And with case numbers still increasing, Madison-Dane County Health Department spokesman Jeff Golden said he’s hopeful a H1N1 vaccine currently in development will be ready for the public this fall.
Until then, the same common-sense precautions apply as they would for any other type of influenza: regular hand washing and sneezing or coughing into your sleeve rather than your hand, Golden said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals not attend summer camp until seven days after flu-like symptoms began or until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer.
"It’s better safe than sorry, so that’s why they’re taking the drastic measure of closing it," King said.
King said the diocese extended the cancellation beyond the recommended seven-day "quarantine" so the counselor could return safely without any chance of infecting campers.
"The main precaution is if someone shows up with flu-like symptoms, you get them isolated from other people," Golden said. "You just make sure they get home and get to bed."