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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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( F0 {7 S/ S4 K5 `4 C( XUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca
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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.9 ?; A* I% n5 D" Y4 z0 ^+ e9 ?+ S
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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. w/ d3 u0 _/ N+ q9 k' H) g
1 G1 K+ [5 i& h6 t+ S: |, J, mThe 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.
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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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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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6 V; i9 n! ?1 S p" O3 T"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.. k& @4 E3 M4 |) E( x, m
4 w" J2 S3 r' ]! w' h1 R$ a3 hMost 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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, {' l; ]7 P8 X6 b# B"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.; h4 x& f; E$ ~0 n
* T" f! ]) X4 f% g3 S4 W; I1 y! ^Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said./ j# Q3 k& u& u# ~
/ C4 K- z- n5 Z `; g# T( p"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.. v/ d" R3 f1 d4 y+ B% _
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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.# t9 f# S5 G% a( u
) f& O; j6 ?- X6 }# {) AHowever, 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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