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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps S! b3 w7 v M* L
! d: v* g$ i- |* LUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca
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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.; @6 r1 {3 d. @- T
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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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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.. p; D! z& Y0 x' k% }, r! o b
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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.
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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." @9 o$ r J4 }! i/ M
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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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k5 w0 y A7 S6 S. ]* ^"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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- p, x0 _# f% G0 N& f: UParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.5 ]- ?2 X1 \7 P, }: s
6 d! }9 v0 s7 Q. X" L5 v"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." [! |4 S8 }* p/ ] n$ ?
$ W3 Q1 b8 S( w7 f( l, q# u$ F. c/ kGardner 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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