 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
5 |/ l& |: T4 O: l0 a: p: N/ t% t; t7 z
) H5 _3 P1 l" U+ n6 B7 N; oUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM/ C8 n$ z5 A+ F' i7 I. e- R3 E
! h0 q( h! c1 I: g
ctvtoronto.ca
* A& X! }- ?$ g, Z0 K9 \* e6 V
5 U& k6 S) V% h/ u+ c! I, WThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.6 R2 p. d0 W4 k: e7 m% Q
j+ Y0 j5 J0 X; W
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.: j7 X( k; F0 P; U
4 T* n: m8 ?4 `: z% OThe 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.# l' s% B- S% L8 c' W+ L
6 ^- B, X/ S# G! E
The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.- J! [! h: D- \3 E( K: V4 |/ H+ O2 G
9 k# p& H% o0 r2 @8 `; P" }: aThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.) a' u" H5 I @& q) A/ q
8 E$ H9 }1 L, N/ E/ r, O"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
; s( k1 i, B/ r6 }+ y- o0 i& T4 ]4 m5 K- R: X6 L a0 i1 N7 [& @
Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.
) M2 [9 w6 J2 k. v6 x3 R3 k, A- e
! B1 i1 p+ m2 j2 p6 [+ FGardner 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.
R' R- l! Y1 \! j- S, X- p9 |1 K$ g
"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.
% {/ k6 z/ N+ d' g* o: l- g; ?5 e, s) q9 d t& {
Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.8 O) Y/ [7 ?: y$ o
3 ~- u% |2 g4 Q4 B7 Z"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.( O4 W' [' k+ z Y
& h; p9 }& h& X' }( p6 |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.
5 G w9 [: X& N6 {5 Y- U) @. F$ s
Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.
, T9 J S4 Y1 g* L4 ~) j
3 u2 j) w6 c; b" m' |0 y6 m0 q; OHowever, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
|