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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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; z6 }. A5 ~: ~' r" S& PUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM( O; q8 E+ V/ W v5 F
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ctvtoronto.ca: `+ y, E ?8 E9 L5 O( K6 e( g
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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.- A d. P. E# Y, i+ k8 _3 d
1 `+ N3 @3 }9 lDr. 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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9 E, E j8 G3 u5 yThe 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.5 k/ T1 D4 r `8 g/ j
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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.
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# r2 H/ b5 ?+ a+ ?/ c4 D' rThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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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.
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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.! z& j3 ~" o( W+ g1 a: d
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.. a! X1 l* N) J$ m* S1 L6 y$ ?
. {) }9 S3 S0 ?+ e"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said./ ^, \) k! E$ D$ w
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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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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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