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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps& f+ D1 Q. ?+ @( a7 T
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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4 C0 a3 X5 C1 W2 g7 zctvtoronto.ca0 o9 t& t1 a- T. C% b
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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.
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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./ A9 A2 }% @- M0 g) k
4 s+ v" x+ j2 |. _% F) n& yThe 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.
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! w# X1 q5 Q! t) dThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.9 D" B6 H) C+ b1 D& g) Q$ D
* f; @* J/ _ J, v. @The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.* O$ Z! K- s: L+ C" {1 ?
) b' C; P: _3 H# ]# e+ G, W, u"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.; z/ }: B" j% t& o
) b! e. {& p; ~. E0 ?Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.3 q; K1 c+ T3 p. z/ T
8 ]7 {6 f: U! O3 K9 Y+ Q# T; c9 o1 }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.8 U4 U0 R# f6 o# Y8 p+ C" A2 D
- f0 j) }: s( l5 `5 ^"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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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said./ }; n3 J5 V& ]6 ?& ]) Z5 |
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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.* W5 f: R& I9 H
3 A3 _$ |: ?8 h7 f/ m1 y9 l! PGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.& K9 |" j! k% R6 f8 x3 g
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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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