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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps$ V" i. l$ Z" G0 A* I2 Q
0 [: `* ^" ~) n1 f1 zUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM) W! R: g1 R u" G' n
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* Y" h; Y$ f1 g+ U! {. N6 S4 uThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.% }0 F5 j8 V; Q" [
0 C: _6 |8 F9 G8 h" k2 PDr. 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.1 M7 ^3 H4 m+ X6 ]
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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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- S9 T, F- f- E+ {" w" {. J; MThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.7 R# @. u( Q+ ~/ X
. }) j a+ u, a) I% g2 A" qThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.) O% z4 K7 W9 s' L6 |8 y8 \. s
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.4 E/ e0 x( s6 }6 T1 j
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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.
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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.8 A+ U0 r4 x* x) @4 N8 V6 g+ a" u
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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.; I d/ F0 l+ |6 t. U% o
- @. t3 C* d) A$ b, F8 x1 CParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said. q8 C9 m4 Y0 n' J; ?; H" `
( a7 V% f/ \. x1 ]) N7 o1 a# K: L"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.+ B6 X8 R' {7 }9 `+ O7 y7 w" f
2 y6 x4 A- p; f T4 j% WThose 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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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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6 ~$ h7 n" ?0 N, V/ e0 {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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