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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& a! [6 e& m6 h
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2 R$ u' _0 n0 }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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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.* t$ B$ r& |! P# X# o
9 d' _3 s/ W! T" d/ K. yThe 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.# z% X/ I! u& x! A# p9 L
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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.$ S* h/ z- J6 @5 O" y8 }2 z6 C2 C
& K6 K& A8 W4 W% c"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.
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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./ F- N* X6 \3 F, a7 Z7 C
/ }/ i) z( R G8 y; ^5 V, B# L# v% LParents 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.! g1 o) N: N5 u! _
" X' F& ^' z( g. b _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.2 Z1 X) s& N, H7 H( h5 R, D; @+ P
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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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/ Y+ i, \( L oHowever, 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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