Camp responds to controversy about Butte bats

A Flathead Lake United Methodist Camp official, the Rev. Morie Adams-Griffin, said

Monday that bats taken to the health department for testing were not found in the Butte Cabin

at the camp.

A Flathead Lake United Methodist Camp official, the Rev. Morie Adams-Griffin, said Monday that bats taken to the health department for testing were not found in the Butte Cabin at the camp.

He said parents of more than 90 campers were warned their children had possible rabies exposure because bats were seen flying in the cabin above their sleeping children.

"What started it was we, in good faith, captured bats for testing," Adams-Griffin said.

In a statement sent to the media Monday, he said a counselor in the Butte Cabin informed another counselor on July 26 of a bat in the cabin. Three people inspected but found no bat.

On the evening of July 27, a bat was noticed in the chapel. After the chapel was evacuated, the bat was captured in a container by a counselor wearing gloves.

On the next night, a bat noticed behind the Missoula Cabin was hit with a medicine kit and captured in a container.

Both bats were killed and put in a freezer.

According to Adams-Griffin, no one directly touched either bat. The staff took precautions such as cleaning the medicine kit with bleach water after it was used to stun the second bat.

Staffers learned later from the health department that freezing made the bats unsuitable for testing.

"Sometime during the reporting of these captures to the health department, the female counselor in the Butte Cabin reported that bats flew overhead of the girls in the Butte Cabin at least three consecutive nights," Adams-Griffin said in his statement.

On Aug. 3, members of Lake County Health Department inspected the Butte Cabin and made suggestions about ways to minimize bats entering the dwellings.

Adams-Griffin and camp manager Jen Burch received telephone calls the next day from Lake County health officials asking for names of campers who slept in the Butte Cabin.

Health officials said they needed the names in order to send a letter informing campers and their parents of possible bat exposure.

This follows guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control, which recommend vaccinations for a child or other person who wakes up to find a bat in the room if the bat tests positive or wasn't available for testing.

Health officials left it up to parents to decide if the risk warranted immunizing their children at a cost of $900 to $1,500.

Although infections are rare, rabies almost always leads to death once symptoms appear. People have even died of a bat strain of rabies with no bite marks or known exposure to bats.

Lake County's letter told parents that three bats recently tested positive for rabies in Flathead, Mineral and MIssoula counties. It also said bats are the animals most commonly responsible for spreading rabies to humans.

Adams-Griffin responded to allegations by some parents that the camp hadn't immediately provided the names and phone numbers of all occupants of Butte Cabin.

He said Burch provided contact information for directors of camp groups that rented space at the Methodist camp earlier in the summer.

Adams-Griffin said he couldn't find the information on campers immediately. He added that camper lists are often discarded after the particular camp ends.

He told health officials he would keep looking for the list.

He received another request on Aug. 8, but Adams-Griffin still didn't have the information. At that time, he said he would like a letter from the camp included with the health department mailing.

He sent the list by e-mail the next day with a letter he had written for the department to include. However, Adams-Griffin said he learned Thursday that the health department didn't send his letter with its mailing.

In an Inter Lake article Saturday, parents complained that the camp had not contacted them directly about the bat exposure.

The Inter Lake called Burch on Friday, but she declined comment pending discussions with a board member and attorney.

Parents also said they want the camp to pay for their children's rabies immunizations.

"All I can say is the insurance company has been contacted and they will get back to us or the parents," Adams-Griffin said Monday.

He asked that the Inter Lake publish his name and phone number, (406) 452-3900, as the Flathead Lake United Methodist Camp's contact for anyone concerned about the rabies exposure problem.

The camp closed the Butte Cabin after receiving an order from health officials on Aug. 5. It will remain closed until the cabin passes inspection by the Lake County Health Department.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com