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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps& m% @+ ]8 Z3 ~) f& r
6 D* y6 Z0 m0 QUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM# l; [5 n' \: v
+ l/ S4 {: @3 I! Ictvtoronto.ca" A6 A( S" X3 b. a0 r) c
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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.
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4 P7 e4 x2 l: h1 ADr. 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.& y7 k; W8 B W$ {$ ?. b
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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.6 ^! u/ f- a, X' ?3 k: x7 `% C4 P, ^+ f( Q
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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.! y' J4 ~1 X# y( H* B' M; g7 T8 E
( k6 F% F5 P4 _. \The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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; @: q# f6 P- D3 KMost 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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$ J8 [" c- q3 R1 {. KGardner 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., D( ]4 s1 X# H
$ O9 c- v2 O/ x6 N. \"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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# e" ^9 n5 c& a) ZParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.. V, E2 {$ H0 a: w5 j+ w" L
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.9 Y \" M8 ^8 X( t0 F# Y
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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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% P: V# L) k. m1 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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" F# ?9 F0 P6 t; ^4 K6 A1 OHowever, 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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