 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
% T3 W2 R% n0 Y. ^
+ m% D% Q+ `% E" W* bUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
6 b/ O4 L5 R3 _4 H0 D8 X& F- z% J$ o
ctvtoronto.ca1 r4 _/ G! s+ N
5 K- C. g- A) O2 s% cThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.4 x i9 V1 V3 i$ S# k
/ k" `* V3 Q8 u$ M% E" l
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.% l, t' J! w. ?' h
1 z2 n8 }4 r( Q
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.2 ]4 ~5 u; @. C8 n# I/ A; m
" K. ~# T# V9 S$ i1 KThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
1 w, B3 S* |7 E, Z' O3 Y
# W" ?3 C. ], n6 X- J6 LThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
5 s3 C9 T' |# }9 {. U( g$ i+ ~( w( Q* W; u; q
"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
- z7 T2 g0 C" ~; L! V7 i5 ~+ a1 K/ y5 V6 @( c9 v+ g
Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.
( u. i9 H4 J/ ?5 `1 h% n0 a U
, L. h/ O9 S8 GGardner 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.
- |; L' Z6 h3 G6 O S- x1 D6 N2 h1 Q4 B
"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.( H4 Q+ o( R* w% V C% x! ~: }
- G0 L& \; A6 x$ c9 \
Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.! Z) ^) G% W5 |6 S
. p! |3 R/ N0 |. E8 ]" w+ o"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said." \* p3 S# D j( M. b# q4 o3 G
' n4 @% K R7 h" U! A
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.7 Y& v# y( q6 u1 W8 A0 g' h
! p- ]. Y6 J# s) I. D+ RGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.
" S! E6 ~4 @) O
9 G6 W1 g* B& F9 E ?0 b r3 jHowever, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
|