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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca# g0 L Z4 I. X! t) K% J: q$ ]
: K; Y. @: X) w+ fThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.+ Q; N. V! t4 i% z0 C% L/ V! P
* ^% J- E* U4 Z) FDr. 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.$ y( k" _5 B# K% B) s! m
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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.
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+ R, h( Z- P/ ~- o, J1 mThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.1 {7 z/ u0 J( t3 G! [
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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.' B3 m- I; H2 Q$ |( T" w! t
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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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Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.9 w e" e* N1 a; Q. b6 z1 T! n
5 M7 Z! s) Z+ |! }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.$ J7 K: H$ l+ _" K5 t' _
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"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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; `2 a' V ]6 R, rParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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4 w Q+ ^* c2 v' X$ z# v"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.. Q5 w7 w7 P7 L; A7 [
2 y; V* q o( _7 {( p( ]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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, g6 ?7 Q \ Q2 L2 vGardner 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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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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