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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps& ?* f; G" z( j9 h+ t) Q
7 y3 p$ a5 q6 cUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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5 o9 U; p6 e0 u8 M" q Kctvtoronto.ca% D, C4 o' {, W6 k4 Z8 t5 n
9 f3 C3 r8 @$ ?1 B4 o: rThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.4 m0 q" X4 _& R% q( E3 {
6 ]/ n; F. i% s8 G6 S+ T7 @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.* n2 Z- G, X' T2 ~: k4 |' O2 J2 y
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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., M5 M7 l, G% n+ k7 y+ ^ N3 u
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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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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said./ c+ g3 u" D2 D3 K0 o7 ?
* x# w9 H6 m. i0 F$ nMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine. _: U. s8 c: n( A' U
, ~* y- M; F8 k' M8 R4 E6 E$ nGardner 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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# W2 ^/ ?0 }6 d, g3 r"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. Z8 j0 w O- g ]1 Y* T) X
0 h& H5 h. K: j+ ZParents 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.* h# s/ N, b0 |4 M+ ~0 E9 ~4 ?
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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.* P3 k- L* {7 |% d) p* N
* b( J/ A; F) i# r; {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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- e4 T' c! W$ u( vHowever, 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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