 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
5 A; y! M% X, E/ j) p4 ~: g! Q! I# e& w
Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM1 \: f6 f2 c( K5 V7 U
7 f6 X- @2 E2 {9 R/ J
ctvtoronto.ca
$ j& O9 H, G+ s# A% P1 v+ H7 v2 E. n( `
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.
3 i+ e) `! {! ^( E% P6 L# r7 |
% O" d7 e* ?( _! C/ {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.
8 [/ n W1 _, W* c( T* _5 N! d1 Q$ u9 E. F0 x+ H
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.
1 j; w6 c5 {8 N) ]" r" z: L$ r# J3 Z6 m" A% I# _# P3 E( g
The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.) i9 Y# P! `0 a! ^9 v
2 m* G; j$ |# ?5 L8 H& t- f0 R
The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.8 O7 ?0 r5 |1 ?2 W: F
! \& ~3 [4 ], R
"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
4 {5 n4 W" I6 H! @ I+ L" d4 I" ?1 M/ Q5 q
Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.
# F2 _. @/ ~1 Y! ]2 {7 w6 `% s5 K* S% r) o
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.
: F' d. |, m: p4 R6 y, `+ [* @) Y9 R
"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.' H- T/ u& M/ S
9 m# ?* `! p! }
Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
+ V/ l7 ^: }/ \0 \
: T9 V: V+ y" M2 i a8 u"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
- W2 U* P6 p& t) K* e% v. p5 O: b$ k) Y) @* 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.
: Z- z9 X7 E% Y; r+ Z
/ ^; g: d9 H6 @: jGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.
- v/ d0 V. H& {. d, T9 p* O! [+ Q$ N, s& F
However, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
|