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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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: u9 ]' m* ]$ ?Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca
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% d/ c. F& g) i7 \The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.5 n# t' q- {) Q% ]; g# y
3 z$ c. J7 H4 p, Z5 {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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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.
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) K5 u V' A% n$ g9 HThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
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9 d- `6 q- b7 b, o4 E( W8 eThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.2 A" H# l3 H4 B: ~$ v
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.$ M4 h' f- ?# H8 V( c4 T: R
+ K5 Q0 n1 P* j7 U4 GMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.& G; g8 _9 C5 [& G! d2 h
5 R6 F9 H4 Q" r+ L, c9 WGardner 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.9 I( _: r% y4 Q
- b. `4 v8 l0 i4 F9 M# B"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.& \# d7 ]; @ ^8 t: n
6 ^" J# h- L" v, r- [7 c"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.- Q4 e# S+ ~. t3 W- N
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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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Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.7 o; \ @- A1 Z# j
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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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