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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps! q* m' d7 h' X w
3 U# r; P( I; UUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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: ^8 K7 y+ o# {+ U3 Mctvtoronto.ca
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% l. B8 T- k' R2 {' O& AThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.1 A& ]3 D& h% u" U5 |, G1 o( l
9 R0 x- E5 H' n6 A. J: x8 `! I" 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.
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0 K x% |$ t1 p9 z7 T8 b! z- ?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.5 W# c6 O4 s1 {& T3 H$ t6 b! p
# p" J0 g# B3 O$ oThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.. F& I6 H# K0 g; y! ~
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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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5 D9 F: `( Q( U6 J$ `: u"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.0 I9 ?$ |( d& u5 z; G4 O/ p2 f
1 _( N0 q: _9 u \5 o# l0 aMost 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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6 z& t$ S& g# M. p% K0 sGardner 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 t) w6 u& N) p6 d
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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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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.0 |' g) X, A2 [# M9 H
, c- a* P3 t# \# Z# l) z"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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7 o. T' w% }# j, F" p4 B) ?. x8 aThose 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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, Y) I# `! W3 y* P2 E* GGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.: {, H; y8 ], k7 j
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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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