dh-make-perl error: Use of uninitialized value in substitution (s///)

[Jeremiah Foster <jeremiah@jeremiahfoster.com>]

I am trying to adopt libcdk-perl. When trying to build the package  
with dh-make-perl I get the error that dh-make-perl "Cannot find a  
description for the package: use the --desc switch"

However I am using the --desc switch like this: dh-make-perl -e  
jeremiah@jeremiahfoster.com --desc "Perl interface to Curses  
Development Library"

dh-make-perl then repeats the previous message, along with this:
Found: Cdk 4.09010 (libcdk-perl arch=all)
Use of uninitialized value in substitution (s///) at /usr/bin/dh-make- 
perl line 598.
[ . . . ]
Use of uninitialized value in substitution (s///) at /usr/bin/dh-make- 
perl line 598.

Line 598 of dh-make-perl (the latest version, I pulled it from  
subversion, but I received this error with the version I downloaded  
with apt-get as well) reads like this:

        # Replace linefeeds (not followed by a space) in $desc with  
spaces
        $desc =~ s/\n(?=\S)/ /gs;

Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this a bug I should file?

Thanks,

	Jeremiah