 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps! @& h$ x/ I1 c+ h4 T% l/ Y: k6 F' I( ?
; B' [& `9 e2 J6 M; ~0 n) P, C1 PUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM1 l9 a& Z6 L) F* J7 t! O; v; W
& M/ A0 t. @8 S! |, P
ctvtoronto.ca
% g+ T B3 R* N1 i" o3 q- n8 i4 T e6 J; K
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.
6 |3 C, e/ t, L. B- n/ N( e' e. D% B5 ]- B! D
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.6 {" K. Y( X4 w# \+ P" F
! Y" J% `' m/ B' e9 z9 FThe 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.
& H4 s7 s! G) Q* K/ U7 N4 T: D7 {5 e8 j2 |. G8 u( I
The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
& ?/ M% H( P2 \6 k& k* b- Y
5 _ h' [( n! k: N+ xThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.! M H/ ^- z9 m8 O8 J# y/ f* v' a% y* Y
+ @7 ^7 a2 j# K) }' t9 C"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.: P( l, \8 A9 ?0 G: p
2 B/ }* C0 c7 dMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.
* I, l6 c& B6 c4 s9 D3 E4 Q
" F ?" q- h; `6 V8 ~8 QGardner 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.
- _" H# p( S$ A- l- N2 V$ u9 E8 P
"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.$ i2 v4 r6 E( r( k* a' i* W
* q! ?4 b; j O* P# s, L+ x0 C/ J
Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
! P' T. K! G! I/ _; P1 g, z+ m W2 s
"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.% B5 U' G; k/ ]6 J3 D
) w( |1 K! J1 t }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.3 Q0 {4 [) J( e# T2 e: H. j
( d" g8 v. b6 Y2 B' kGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.
/ N# D, a1 |3 @6 L, ]. Q. k! F) M+ {& R$ r! i/ p6 h
However, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
|