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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps; [5 ^$ [9 R @& h7 b& A
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM" o- d5 c- j( H) I
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ctvtoronto.ca
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& x2 O/ P4 \, zThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.6 p- c3 t0 d8 S! }% Z* c
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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.1 e* ?" f" o# ]. Q+ E2 M
' O _9 k4 S4 l5 _ ]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.* y3 U0 ~0 l9 x5 F& q* X
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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.: m5 n0 o# o/ Y+ }" P ^
! J4 k$ S1 D. D2 @! \The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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( t; O# \8 K T% U, O"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said. l3 o/ y0 f1 a: t9 }7 ~
2 s7 n T3 B5 I7 `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.
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1 w, A' ^% @/ ^! {"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.' z% o8 ]$ o' ^( j+ \; d% k+ D
6 r. ?5 ]) _; oParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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6 I6 o, a# }7 {( P5 p"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.! X9 {+ G& k4 m4 K4 g3 e6 r
d5 T; R3 j s) ^/ J6 C7 _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.$ x/ Z }) C! o( }6 V2 A& u3 `
0 k, N1 M" U& X8 V( A6 f/ F, i$ SGardner 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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