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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps6 f+ |' A/ k3 i) u6 y2 R) m* i- ?
/ b8 i3 ]! {/ P5 e5 ~/ dUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca" A/ K4 T6 P6 ~ v0 q% T# r8 ~; Z- \$ K
- t8 @! m. ^% i% A- h0 vThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.
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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.
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, y5 j8 t$ M8 SThe 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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9 p7 t Z% A7 R, v0 pThe 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.9 _$ g: f( S5 R5 O7 B
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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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7 X3 ?( o9 w. F+ dMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.
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o6 N7 H, t' _ T& BGardner 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.1 f. l& R' H# E3 m! s2 E" Y
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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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9 y, r1 D5 R% h( Y. ?# JParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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6 K, e* e: Q ^! D! K# `"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.9 h9 u9 Z5 |! ~ J
7 `$ {8 c: s$ O4 L: Z. g3 A R' 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.) } T3 w& P$ M3 S3 Q( n: O4 l
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Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.; ]' [% @; \' X9 Q0 R1 |/ B
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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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