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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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The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.8 q' {( @0 g5 Q+ n# N
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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.7 ]9 `% u/ a" W- B3 F# e
- D9 g( d y3 \ i: B7 e/ O$ pThe 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.) c( q: q$ k( \& Q# q
8 W7 k7 }, w) {2 G; ^The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.! E0 J, y4 u* ]7 h, D; ]
" o7 d- w7 H! rThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said. G& i7 ~: T7 |, e1 |: K( ?
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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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" x. \: K0 d$ n* [( d8 \+ p& EMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine." j8 C8 A9 c \* f
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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.5 F9 @+ q" l$ W, t* Z4 r# O4 N
% [4 w4 a% f$ g"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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( t S7 {8 G3 ~8 @5 t0 OParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.0 _; K2 e( l* j* x: y
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.9 z+ C+ ^8 c5 v# k
6 R2 k; ~0 E e7 c% [2 e) [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.& n9 w. S9 c7 R/ a& g* s- E
3 E' a2 x0 e% ?Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.- A+ x" v9 U) C: \1 W0 r2 b# ?5 [2 [
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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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