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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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3 R6 i' W# V8 d5 g: d: Zctvtoronto.ca
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% X |( S/ g8 B7 ^2 Z1 E8 h' E; yThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.$ Y, G, T# \3 w; w
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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.
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9 Z6 q8 M+ {. m3 p! ~& VThe 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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The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.) [) u6 |9 B: A- ~2 v" z
9 H ^ k4 i# o8 R. PThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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Most 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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" }8 L9 J3 O. }5 e6 b/ [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.3 Y( g& |. ~5 q" ?7 W
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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.- q, A2 h+ b* _, f2 N( N0 x
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.1 w( k3 N8 b5 E: C+ [% Y
0 T! A N& m9 W2 l"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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* Z4 t. N1 d r6 X. w6 f7 H: l" pGardner 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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D" {( ~& P( d4 t- GHowever, 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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