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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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& U' S8 K, A* W6 E, `Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM1 i) Y) c2 ~7 Q6 x& I5 u% f
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1 |0 `+ O6 U o7 wThe 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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- n, X! E0 u: q: O" X$ xDr. 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 Q" ?) K# @, ?/ E, P, v L
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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.! g; x X( q' i+ x
. r0 I$ O: f; q6 sThe 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.& y# ?* r4 m$ z! ?7 H* ^
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.# G) o2 T3 v# X* u
, E2 C* C; a+ _# `% o8 _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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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.
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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.. E" F4 X5 i! e: e6 Q+ {4 q
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.6 \# }* h/ t7 z; m( A. F' H0 W% C
' a) e1 k1 V! u7 Q; rThose 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.: h3 Z$ @% r$ X4 V
( t: }4 ]: ]) ]# V: KGardner 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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7 P) t) `4 H0 hHowever, 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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