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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps7 k/ Z! y+ Y }% g
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca3 J) J, [6 F& ~# s# c
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The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.- P$ S$ R8 F/ m; V
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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.9 I0 R: G( \7 n& }
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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.: Y; A6 k$ W% P; V
% m! o. I" W+ _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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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.% K6 T) _8 j5 d6 K0 T$ T( t# m
8 R7 r1 t: Z8 ?9 u"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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2 A# ~4 H e& O- G: k$ T7 O4 bMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine." Q4 [1 i- A* [- E" H; S
* y! ]1 ?& v0 MGardner 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.7 M2 L3 H9 Y6 [! c
c5 N6 u( R4 K; p"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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" i; b1 S. L& a' T( \& k& N$ F( z+ D1 |/ ~Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.. {# k1 P! u, w* P1 W' T5 u( e: d
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Those 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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) E8 q% h8 e6 v& ]$ _$ s, lGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools. C2 W" q4 Z/ g; N: a
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However, 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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