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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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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.
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! p" @! o$ q3 i8 L( LDr. 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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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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The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.( X2 S, {5 \0 _9 Z) h1 m. I4 h
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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.1 A5 {7 Y5 O& y6 g: I: x
! T* L& C- d# p* {$ M. j"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said. @- r0 _5 N7 x( t0 f/ w
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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.4 g* m7 _2 W! n
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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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"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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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.
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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.
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# x9 w2 z+ l; I$ 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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