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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps* m/ j8 M5 s! O( q5 G8 |( q3 [
7 @& e" m2 o9 O, o8 Q& m2 DUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca
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9 y% [$ U/ i- E8 BThe 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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) |2 s$ n" x1 N9 }! h& X+ `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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1 }- F5 i5 [* ?4 ~3 H* kThe 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. H! [ i2 o! A' p: ` f
' m7 [) c) c$ Y9 }6 f- p. x3 q* oThe 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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* Q2 O Z4 C* ]4 }0 \- h"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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4 l& i: k, _$ P: P% M" f( ^Most of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.' f0 R3 z& \, ^ e
' V Y" T4 {- q0 TGardner 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. ?6 m; G6 ~: a) k& B& O" f, W
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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.. @8 G1 G& @+ \6 j; q' ^
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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" V# c, ?4 X0 f% x/ N: OThose 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 e; C, E: X! X
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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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% {% k+ v% T4 T+ x+ \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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