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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps& l" Z, J% w1 g9 V% h- e1 D
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca# I' N; ^' T1 {. K
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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.; }: |5 T+ R4 U( l; B1 i! a
1 w, ~+ N: S! t& K1 k, jDr. 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.3 ~: B, S5 n- c% o/ X* a; l5 j. U& ]
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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., s# Z5 a% ^# E7 r+ X) {9 S, a
" ?5 R6 K7 _" a7 vThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
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% }5 w* r4 \1 tThe 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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* f9 U+ p( [& f; i6 B+ V" T0 ^0 P1 e- d8 oMost 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.9 {7 K) i" I; V( e# x9 N/ E
' v% _# U; L B% E( V( y: D"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.4 g* q6 F F1 V5 |
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.# w/ P+ ?3 t$ p& H8 i. h; I: S
+ R$ H2 O0 z$ ]0 z% m5 j"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.( I: o6 G0 `2 M
6 P; o6 d* A3 u% L c xHowever, 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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