 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps2 G6 H8 T* s5 x) Z+ F
' l2 K( g+ m+ x' rUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
" F5 J; b" D2 b; Q( t4 _8 \3 b% n! b) T+ g/ J& L3 S
ctvtoronto.ca
N5 | I: k) B0 y m" ~9 n
( l/ y* n$ L# r8 WThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.
, Z4 Y# C8 [9 |3 F* d4 c- F6 Q
0 q( ]9 f0 _4 Y# M& d6 vDr. 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.2 [+ m. S( W+ [3 i5 Q9 `& D
& `1 o# V" q# o- F7 ]' C
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.
( }" N1 [5 k$ }2 _ g7 y
' r6 w- r7 \! m* @3 ^* B" OThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
5 }6 o8 q; @/ A! h6 e( N
9 K4 U" E" y/ O' s' o2 O: t# ^The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.) p' Z& @1 l3 i7 s2 P/ u
1 s$ \0 O0 Y; K+ \( [2 r- q1 E; y
"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.' t+ O* Q- X/ _/ a
4 ^0 j7 U8 U9 R f7 NMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.
! |; }8 m1 b- c
) D6 U8 I. B% Z2 x. J3 [, wGardner 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.3 h. T8 E2 J( Q1 x/ g/ V
( n* @1 b0 E V3 a- `8 ?
"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.6 q3 _, T5 [. T& v0 F; d
1 ?1 V! H& f6 _2 {4 ~7 K
Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.0 d4 J, N4 r$ f0 k# s; `; z+ [
) e" P. i0 O t, S/ a% E
"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.# Y, J, t( J8 J B
& f- N5 c/ K) `- A
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.
) g( ?& V/ j# L _) k* A: E8 E# S) z$ Q" {. n b% M
Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.$ f2 a5 y# V9 I2 d) P" M
4 _1 Q8 a% k9 U6 g, p9 V
However, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
|