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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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% }# s; B- ^) M+ JUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM) [% J7 w2 q ~1 ~( ^! U9 K
% s& L4 T" Y; {/ p; wctvtoronto.ca- W; T2 N8 O. v" r0 [
B6 P) w1 p' VThe 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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) \. }# ^* ~. h$ {' } HDr. 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.
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' x, e& e& e V KThe 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 A! `+ y0 K, m% m/ Y* Q. L
4 ~, @* P* v: s+ f8 XThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.) Q3 z! n3 \8 i2 k
5 B% F7 g1 T2 F- v5 G6 IThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.! p+ G# {$ f7 E: l* m
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.* V' c: S& X3 E- ?
$ [9 T4 \+ H1 R2 D+ X5 D1 |+ xMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.! B: k% @2 x. n0 p; W- m, W
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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. _7 A/ a6 Y3 q* h( h1 b! y8 K
4 C0 [" b) v2 u0 j8 M1 A' 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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2 j; O+ r: {; `/ G+ EParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said./ r. H; f. k9 P
' v9 k8 p6 A6 Z, G8 r"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.- o& z3 ` r4 y W" K
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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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