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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps" w- S6 | i% y3 ]
* g1 _+ b, T7 l( D% e% ^Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM- T* G4 B4 @& ]; ~6 d
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ctvtoronto.ca
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* N4 }8 R! E J- u0 @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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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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8 S3 ^" J- Q, U6 IThe 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.% X6 i# ?3 B! I5 Z4 j
3 M% ~' J& i" NThe 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.
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9 `' f5 a# P% p5 B"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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3 G7 h% @3 C' {9 H( y. vMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine." {0 C5 t- G" A" ~2 \ ^4 _8 B/ o
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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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8 X% q. J5 H" f! C7 V"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.% |8 v- V( l: w, ~0 C8 f7 p; Q
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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9 b# |2 e. {" v, S3 r. u 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.
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8 ~1 Q4 M5 h2 E% c# tGardner 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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& n' P2 a# s4 h8 k; ~# E7 LHowever, 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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