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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps% y/ P# H) |1 d# ]
3 I: N d& B! A7 f) FUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM {. j; l9 m8 v3 G1 A: e& Y
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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.
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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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- ^* h7 |- Q1 _3 r. J& S& pThe 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.% ?" F8 |9 x- \+ O" s
2 _5 Q9 |( x+ q/ R1 B9 m7 [* A9 WThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.* C: Y7 x) S, B$ c2 J' [6 w" A# Y
' t- [: q; b. o5 \$ i8 oThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said. c w# ^$ U# N( o- k9 K* j
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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.
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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.6 v$ d0 y- L9 `; J ~) N
* T2 E1 F H8 Q"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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" q( p8 B! I9 s: n5 I0 IParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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. F L4 N' n- y2 ~"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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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.% B! }/ ~+ I) [- ? h- r6 G
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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.
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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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