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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps: C/ n/ c- H2 N4 \" J1 L, p. P( _' b
/ A+ o% S1 \2 M( EUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca! o G& T# a& o, u! m" g# Z1 D
0 ^8 V8 N# P& M, @5 QThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.
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/ w9 h% x2 A$ Z( \7 R- b# u, R5 UDr. 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.6 d/ F( R0 O9 r9 i1 K
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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.
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* s: d W" x0 o# J8 w7 ~* mThe 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.. N) l2 P6 c. o2 \$ }
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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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; o( v9 y, l P1 u8 D* tGardner 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.
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' j; N6 @$ u- r/ I& u9 yParents 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.2 a, F' C0 T# R# ^; e- f% r6 B2 z5 [' l
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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.4 S' W9 o8 W1 o1 F4 T
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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.
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) W* O" C% G' O( F3 _" g* nHowever, 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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