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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps" {8 Y$ j0 B1 }7 V
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM& t" T8 f5 U4 ^9 R9 X$ Z! E ?
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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.6 K! ?2 o+ J# ]3 I
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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.' e6 c* k7 K7 q/ f
. \% X" K" R' x L3 b: _ ~The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.0 V$ a2 N2 H3 C6 }( F6 p3 x
' N) R/ V6 \- B"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.7 X0 x: z6 s/ L1 R1 W
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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.1 G% ?) d- h' k+ }% l
- `$ v# x+ v) sGardner 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.6 `$ g$ |$ z$ Q z/ m) X1 c, }/ Y
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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.
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.+ _. ^6 I$ F( W% t! n" y
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.1 v$ V3 {# b5 e; i: E( `. }
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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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4 f+ }! a0 T) j; `# d5 u% \8 Y' |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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