 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps1 B& V, F5 }+ J" Z# ~3 j
3 X. _8 [# _, ]/ b9 QUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM$ \* c. T8 U1 ^3 n
1 y! i' Z$ V1 N7 \* ^: {: Mctvtoronto.ca
: k9 a# c4 l7 o2 T+ d% b# ^) R
9 | n1 ? ], I% P( cThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu. Z! L& p6 Y3 m4 P; i" w' D
1 z' U5 L( e2 ?8 p7 H
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.. w9 {: T$ s4 h1 }
( `7 [3 H! k! ^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.
. B/ U1 N) ]( h6 X1 V- z8 [9 C$ G5 D
2 G6 {( `/ [0 Q' _4 J- ]! y5 [) qThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.5 V- L/ n" ?1 r- K! M& d6 J" f
% A D: U8 S0 `/ l/ l* i3 N
The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
" z" V! s4 X8 L9 c' _. m/ v1 W) K n _5 ?7 |5 c
"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.* G' ~) ]- o" O6 D9 }8 G& }
; N0 t3 K0 Q5 k% y- w4 l/ [# E
Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.
3 ~7 e) B' Z$ ]# V1 l6 ?8 n( v+ P6 U; W' E9 E
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.0 R" }9 W: z4 P! v( P) t; E
& U1 [7 c' q1 z O6 @; r9 b3 {8 w
"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.
' X# e& {, L8 ?5 a+ z/ h+ J. }* y }1 M5 l! A# ] ~: w0 g
Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
3 |: n$ u8 d0 u# w N! k
! `5 W1 c. q" E A% h"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
1 p2 v G( M c( ]) o4 a& l f w$ J( h
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.6 o$ x& j" w8 x8 L" N7 ^3 ~
% z$ `: z/ x* A8 L! W
Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.
4 y3 E! |( c$ w( _: c8 E, ~9 U0 V9 F0 }' `3 y. w9 P- m
However, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
|