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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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# W6 f* B# l6 Q8 tUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM$ f6 H1 M+ Y% \, z: X
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ctvtoronto.ca! F- _5 C1 V; q$ D. Q
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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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+ u) @, q4 I3 g) B) {, |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.' ~0 P! w/ d' W. h* x
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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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) f, @% d f" z8 A5 r7 h. CThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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; a, a8 `1 G" z: j9 N8 ~"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.$ U9 z5 ? q8 d8 e2 ?! h
. m! [* ?8 u/ U" [ N+ `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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4 x8 O2 x; D+ z1 |4 P! q3 A, X% rGardner 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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' |* e/ e3 ^8 S+ e"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.$ N$ X6 [6 m& H+ B- s' M1 |
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.* j+ G$ m; S# e, ]9 T/ B
% [7 b+ [- J8 U5 U5 C7 ~% S ]( X4 J"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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1 X# s+ u2 l0 Y6 q. V5 y/ v: N- bThose 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.. {& E) \/ ^5 p# O! Z/ O
' G% v% {! o5 O$ i9 _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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