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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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+ K" {' b; Q) _Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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& h9 u; p/ |3 Y5 ?$ H0 ^ctvtoronto.ca
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' e. l9 n% H; U V& ]The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.' s2 k9 L1 M/ l4 e0 u" N
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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: B2 h3 N$ n; f$ R
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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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! I! M- t. S G8 OThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.: o: w- l+ _7 h, _& W9 e( ?
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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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, n- i( Q% d+ Z K# y) [5 j$ J"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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- d% t1 l5 t; K" hMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.8 {3 H- B' h: k, {+ l
- {2 Y, p, K, NGardner 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.2 g' s8 w3 |: G0 Z/ k' T# I: k1 g
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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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; s/ ]9 D" r) o' I5 w7 pParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.( U% j& ~! J4 B3 F$ r( p
* B, u3 N% H" p"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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" O5 h! z1 K2 O$ u' V/ ]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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% i5 E4 E F- `/ ^- E& J" U$ c1 LGardner 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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' E' K, ]: r! G) mHowever, 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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