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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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5 _2 W9 Y/ P1 F2 [% l* @0 FUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM I5 d- T/ k y& Y8 N8 Y
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ctvtoronto.ca
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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.. Q9 \, k0 ?9 g: \
: J4 `/ ^# d& H0 iDr. 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.3 q! ~( J6 {5 s! t% T
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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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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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9 I2 E9 J( K4 ]: X) |The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.* u* E: c: G0 G/ v$ f7 x, g7 h2 ~
8 _ S9 H# Q+ U% c9 v! ["The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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+ h( M/ ?0 h8 F) w7 U9 d7 ]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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* F/ C! ^' F4 h! X# t% ]"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.* c9 i K. E( q) k; w
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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& r/ Z5 l9 _! t2 `"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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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.
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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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# T: X- g- l+ n! K& K: E( pHowever, 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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