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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps" `1 C: V9 i6 r5 e
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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8 j6 l y' {& T e8 x% ^" `/ nctvtoronto.ca8 F! i0 g/ p3 e: F
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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.! m3 P p1 u: N1 i# C; ?
0 L: d9 \# U T0 f# f, [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.0 W+ W' ?7 |; @/ m
6 a. h7 U* q) R; a7 i1 U& IThe 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.! ]: Q7 ~# v$ q4 p) e
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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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7 t& |$ h X6 C* `/ K3 j2 VThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.- S' K8 z4 o! E% U
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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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$ N9 G5 t4 w& f- yMost 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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; O$ b- @1 E e: o! w7 aGardner 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.# S: T, h* S: K# Z
1 u7 V/ W( @% [5 i6 u6 o: c& vParents 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.) q* f8 c* b" [$ g# }
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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.( P4 e, ]; I* y2 p1 G* O( p
4 w; C3 ?/ K" c: q. i% DHowever, 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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