Camp Outbreak Shocks Parents

Oh, what a nightmare!

This week, parents who spent a significant amount—often upwards of $19,000—for their children’s summer camps learned that several prestigious sleepaway camps in the Poconos and Catskills were hit hard by a stomach bug. This illness had campers and counselors making desperate runs to the latrines.

After all, families invest a lot into these experiences—spending around $19,000 per child for seven weeks filled with activities like waterskiing and making lifelong friends. But who anticipates a bout of projectile vomiting? The last part of summer should be about color war, not sanitation concerns.

Parents who spoke anonymously to The Post indicated the outbreak started at Tyler Hill, a seven-week camp in Wayne County, PA, shortly after visiting day in mid-July. With nearly 500 campers from June to August, Tyler Hill charges $18,475 for the summer.

One parent shared, “I’ve heard that around half the camp has fallen ill. They ran out of beds in the health center; they even ran out of toilets!”

Crisis situations have a way of bringing East Coast camp parents together. Screenshots of camp emails and text messages spread like wildfire. Reports of mismanaged bunkhouses and overwhelmed infirmaries became widespread. Some campers even returned home early for recovery.

What might have been mere hearsay among parents quickly turned into a full-blown camp scandal, with anonymous Instagram accounts popping up to share gossip and tips, making this one of the summer’s biggest dramas.

Andy Siegel, who currently owns Tyler Hill, reassured parents via email that the illness typically passed within 24 to 36 hours, although he humorously cautioned against conducting “first-hand research.” The camp director tried to lighten the mood, mentioning that they had survived what he jokingly termed “the fifth plague of 2026,” which followed challenges like heat, rain, Canadian wildfire smoke, and the infamous “diarrhea lettuce scare.” “And apparently,” he noted, “it was a stomach bug.”

After Alumni Day on July 26, many parents decided to take their children home for a few days to help control the spread. Still, Tyler Hill had already earned the moniker of “camp zero,” a term circulating among parents and online accounts. The exact origin of the outbreak remains uncertain.

Nearby, Timber Lake Camp, which charges $18,225 for the upcoming summer, informed parents that 15 campers and staff, mostly younger ones, showed gastrointestinal symptoms, with a few needing to go home for a short time. Initially, camp officials speculated the issues arose from overindulgence after visiting day. However, as sickness spread, they theorized it likely stemmed from a basketball tournament involving several camps.

The camps, frequented by families from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida, operate closely together, meaning campers, counselors, and sports events frequently overlap.

To combat the outbreak, Timber Lake’s housekeeping crew is in overdrive, conducting a “disinfecting campaign” involving specialized aerial spraying to eliminate gastrointestinal viruses.

To manage the situation, both boys’ and girls’ campuses have established “puking stations” equipped with masks and other supplies to deal with any messes that arise. Camp officials also noted they had utilized much of the month’s Florida lemon crop, offering campers one-ounce lemon shots for breakfast, even if unsure of their effectiveness. One email humorously stated, “I can’t tell you how much excitement and fun there was at breakfast this morning as campers held up their lemon shots, downed them, and tossed their cups into the trash.”

If the lemon shots didn’t do the trick, elderberry gummy supplements were on hand too. Camp infirmaries have been inundated with parents requesting vitamins and medications for their kids. An article from New York Magazine highlighted that today’s campers often arrive with personalized medication schedules, transforming health centers into mini pharmacies.

According to Timber Lake, one in five campers has been taking elderberry gummies daily. One email even stated, “If you do not want us to provide an elderberry gummy to your camper who requests it, please let me know.”

In another camp, Trail’s End, located in Beach Lake, PA, which costs $18,625 per season, parents reported that seven campers became ill after a lacrosse tournament at Tyler Hill. A message from the camp’s director indicated they would pause intercamp tournaments for a few days while they monitored the situation.

For parents who are paying hefty tuition fees for summer camp, this illness is a nightmare, despite understanding that close quarters often lead to sickness. Rather than checking the camp photo website to see their children engaged in activities or scoring goals, parents have spent the week worrying about whether their child has thrown up.

Fortunately, campers tend to bounce back quickly. Many who briefly returned home are expected back to finish the summer strong.

Tyler Hill, Timber Lake, and Trail’s End did not respond to requests for comment.