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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps6 y; g( D0 U k" w" m
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM8 z Y! }0 p- [5 ?' |! c1 Z8 ^
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ctvtoronto.ca
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" c+ ?% j% n3 k5 t/ ^8 t7 q7 sThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.! s/ d: P- G2 W8 i/ _) K2 C( v/ V% P
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Dr. Charles Gardner, the district's chief medical officer of health, told ctvtoronto.ca on Wednesday that the district isn't saying which three camps are involved." V1 z8 `, Z. G1 p* h- U3 J) Y: E
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The lakeland area of central Ontario covered by the district has 71 registered camps. The three camps involved had 1,275 campers and 480 staff, he said.9 l$ k0 n$ ^) m/ j2 A* ]
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The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
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7 T3 _, @" V. y. QThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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, [3 d q( ~/ p2 ]. ^Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.' T; @( ~1 W' x ^- x* V
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Gardner said the district is also having all camps tell all parents in writing that "this is an unusual year" -- referring to the outbreak of H1N1, which the World Health Organization has declared a pandemic.8 Z9 w& P, p, F7 E* P" L
1 ~7 m# l& [7 g) L# l. I9 L"They need to be aware of H1N1 influenza, that we've had three outbreaks to date and there's the possibility we could have others," he said.
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$ M3 v1 p& C6 T( w w: @Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.7 W Q0 h5 q& g' _! K& P3 i$ v
. n$ X) ^+ g. f5 t" s+ h1 V0 O% U"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.) u6 o3 G1 N, v% I# z- n
1 b( g4 C E, `* m( BThose symptoms include fever, cough, sore throats or a general sense of malaise. "If that's happening within seven days of them coming to a camp, they should not go," he said.
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; L+ L4 z8 C# c2 t8 cGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.
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, x3 w. i4 t* KHowever, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
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