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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps$ V. C1 S: V7 H9 q( s8 {- {
- ^( {' `5 {$ H; n( M6 @ i. C0 ~; tUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca* q( l) g0 z" e0 l3 p `% t
`6 ?9 q p- B2 f" |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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& z1 X+ i1 H: A1 W. q* z& v2 EDr. 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.0 |, C$ {' Z6 h N# q3 ^
) c5 n/ k! w: C5 t: z8 j6 j' FThe 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.: i( N6 u |" a9 H
) o* K: F! [5 d8 m, k) fThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
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3 ^/ \2 N8 T" V# E* b! UThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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# {' q. d# U" e$ A) s"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.) p/ G% C: n+ \6 n5 A m
0 ?4 N. U; ?8 E* uMost 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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, m8 W' d) o' R9 R# D# kGardner 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.$ Z8 j! t& l5 y/ [: h" g
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.1 F8 b' K# U9 l( Z, z
: |- e$ a( w: o" r1 v9 i"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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. o9 n9 W8 D; mGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.8 r. ]6 g1 }0 J" {# |+ e% G. G
( f' A) ^) `* u- |0 r( k/ FHowever, 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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