A flu outbreak has prompted Camp Wonderland in Camp Lake to temporarily shut its doors.

Camp Director John Welch said a group of about 190 campers were sent home early this week after several campers and two staff members contracted the flu. He said the Salvation Army camp will remain closed until July 13.

“It was a very difficult decision to send home kids who were all feeling good and having a great time,” Welch said. But he said the Salvation Army decided to take voluntary action to close the camp based on advice from the Kenosha County Health Department.

A staff member tested positive for Influenza A, a common form of the flu virus. Swine flu is a variant of Influenza A.

Campers were sent home Wednesday, and next week’s camp session was cancelled.

Welch said it appeared the flu came to the camp last week when some campers were sent home when they developed fevers. This week, two staff members became ill.

Shutting down the facility for a week will allow for a thorough cleaning, and will ensure that staff and campers staying in close quarters at the camp will not spread the infection.

Diane Bosovich, assistant director of nursing at the Kenosha County Health Department, said the agency provided guidance to the camp based on Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Because children and staff are in close quarters while staying in residential camps, rates of transmission are higher when someone staying at a camp becomes infected.

A number of summer camps around the country have had to close temporarily due to flu.

The Salvation Army’s Camp Wonderland has been operating in Camp Lake since 1924. Welch said the camp’s mission is to offer camping opportunities to inner city children. About 98 percent of campers come from Chicago, the balance coming from smaller urban areas in Illinois. “It’s really trying to get kids out of the city,” Welch said.

Camp will resume July 16, with weekly sessions running through the summer. Welch said some children who missed camping dates may be able to return later in the summer.