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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps- p1 x# w3 j d
0 ` c2 E3 |: k( P8 D7 o/ V3 }# p% iUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM& r# M7 ]3 l* k3 k. |: n' A
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ctvtoronto.ca
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0 I8 y* q2 |4 nThe Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.6 I. N9 P# i, g6 u0 s/ {( u/ N
( o! Q; v1 o+ w% m0 }5 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.
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3 P9 y+ A6 x+ K1 A& @% 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." Z$ j: w# |# t! Z
9 W4 V w$ _- }: s% ]The number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.6 Z+ V! W z3 W7 }8 W
7 S5 k) b! K1 ?The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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" J1 h3 S- ~3 A, s9 s+ \* A"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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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.( o0 `' ^/ V5 R+ p4 [# r5 P. N
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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.. k/ N3 P8 f/ ]3 z" V* D: N
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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.
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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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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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, `- Y5 a# A8 B' SGardner 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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! a1 A f* d1 [! r6 v- O, V& w' EHowever, 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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