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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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% Z; D& H) {7 {5 r; C6 eUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM: j. J& l1 K3 R# I h. O
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' h3 Y5 v' ?& z8 Y2 D8 FThe 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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7 r: W, p) g! ?7 S& ADr. 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.. w9 V) C2 _& I# }
, i, P& e% V9 D8 |; ], QThe 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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* T- F5 [+ J+ n4 b# iThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps." R- s1 Z4 ]+ `; b; b& v; w
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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.1 N9 @* A: G# N* V( C- y
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.' S9 X# a7 Q* T+ c+ [( D" |7 }
3 V+ i* w/ o/ A1 Q( bMost 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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7 a& m3 b8 @5 e- ?- J2 GGardner 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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" I+ f3 s- K0 B, V Z4 U"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.) m+ U+ p+ n: r, ]! _8 T( W
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.8 h8 [7 H7 h( u
# y+ Q# Y9 ~* n j6 d"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.& C9 J) z. T$ I# ?
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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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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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