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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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* V: a/ A @9 ?7 W& n& l7 r. _9 T4 TUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca0 y! b; Y1 ~* A" [
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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.# P6 n5 S+ L4 M* o6 b4 O. Q5 E
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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.- o9 f: s9 v, ]; O' z6 }0 i
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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.$ O5 Q) R6 [' A" _& P' y
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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.. T7 E- F; s/ u+ K! S) l
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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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% e7 z2 ]. G6 F8 M* d! i"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.
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8 S2 Q$ c" R9 |2 ^1 w"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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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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"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.
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! R0 T2 a. a5 m6 v9 x, RGardner 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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/ K2 R5 p' [! Q9 L, \8 k0 z$ BHowever, 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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