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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps& Q. S2 c" u* Y2 }
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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: T/ e' e! {3 o$ U( o: jThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.* V) [2 U+ D R7 q
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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.
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: w: J3 ]+ K. ^/ L7 _; D! H. T' m ]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.2 A" `: u7 w( p7 M) A& v
* \5 S# B+ z( t! Q) IThe 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. l2 ~: t, ?0 M
# N/ W6 B, V% s9 u2 y7 I"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.; R2 M; D# u' H
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Most 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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( n9 D2 k" E+ L: \. _, wGardner 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.; I v. o) S- C8 g: q9 y
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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.+ q( s- s2 d. ` H4 n
$ ^1 T$ n5 W* h: Z% n8 |Parents 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.; R2 D; C: U- U
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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.! f3 S# V4 A: g
' q v8 C% |; F) r2 e- VGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.- O& n' B& s6 p' i& o
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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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