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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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1 z# A+ k; p; p5 R% gUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM4 o! P4 e- E- S9 m' k
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) J7 L' e( f- zThe 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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J9 F) C Y8 fDr. 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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4 v$ ]7 l+ F: q( D; C5 m0 @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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" G) G: r$ G6 j: k/ N0 F; q0 ^3 M+ M: p6 W- xThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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) p$ `7 B& e. Q* o# _! ]8 |"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.! [4 N% b4 X& }; q/ T
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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 S- ~3 @5 ^) |& P: f! @& b% ~3 G
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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.9 \) K o8 F2 S2 ~8 b
$ a- K+ d7 S* z1 g( ?, W8 p"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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, n, x7 k. h: N& f% k"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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: t$ w- D0 h$ g, [8 ?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.5 ]/ L8 @# m9 G3 a/ U Z
' D% `! ?7 |$ I H) |0 \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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9 N; l% m I1 H! |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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