Amy and I are leaving this afternoon for Canada for a month, to do some research in Quebec and play some hockey. We could go camping — but we won’t. I’ve become like Ben’s mom, whose idea of camping is when the hotel doesn’t have air conditioning.

But for millions of others, this Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of camping season. For Canadians, the season usually starts with the Victoria Day weekend (May 19, 2008) and is characterized by drunk students freezing their assess off in pouring rain. This year was no different.

Camping can either be a flurry of fun and adventure, or a miserable few days of getting sick in the bushes and being dehydrated.  Every summer, thousands of people set out on these camping adventures, and every summer, many become stricken with foodborne illnesses or a parasitic infection.  Some of the most common culprits include norovirus, E. coli O157:H7, Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenalis. 

Such illnesses are not limited to the occasional outdoor excursion; there are many recorded outbreaks at children’s summer camps.  In 2007 norovirus struck down dozens of children and staff members in Three Rivers, MI at a local summer camp.  Such outbreaks are not new; in 1994 E. coli O157:H7 infected multiple people at a summer camp in Virginia.  Since children are more susceptible to these illnesses than adults, it’s especially important that when camping with children care is taken to prevent infection.

Basic camping food safety is similar to kitchen food safety:

• keep meat in the cooler below 40°F;
• store the food in a large cooler, in the shade and away from the campfire;
• when cooking meat, try to use disposable utensils and if metal utensils are used, sterilize them in the fire; and,
• use a tip sensitive digital thermometer.

Never drink untreated water; even the cleanest looking streams can contain harmful parasites.  There are a couple of options for treating water: boiling and filtration.  Bringing a metal cup along to boil water in is the easiest and most effective method.  Bring the water to a rolling boil, and let it boil for at least one minute.  If you’re in the mountains or higher elevations, it’s best to boil for several minutes.  Higher altitudes lower the boiling point of water.

If boiling is not an option, then a filter will suffice.  Make sure to purchase a filter with a pore size of 1 micron absolute or smaller.  This method works best in combination with water tablets.  Water tablets also help to remove some sediment. The tablets may leave a slight aftertaste, so bringing orange juice crystals or a powdered drink along may help to stifle it.