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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$ _6 z; b: [9 W; X$ W
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5 b* m4 ?2 g1 F0 d b8 DThe 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 W. Q2 s+ G1 Q. rDr. 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.5 N& q( G+ i* A1 H" Z: \
" `1 f( \7 {8 N" j3 i2 w; [1 mThe 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.7 N8 H& X! I9 K3 e3 T" ], E
& R A1 J0 D! @: IThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
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: N( H7 G3 l- o% B- ^% @The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.& c+ C, s, p& J
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.4 V# Y7 w7 L! a/ O) _* }4 v' K
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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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. ^3 ]" r9 M7 L"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.' W; Z h1 y. E' C' j
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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.0 } H4 ]2 E7 I# I+ S3 O
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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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