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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps# y U/ K+ b6 X
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM
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ctvtoronto.ca
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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.5 t8 Q/ h/ }/ z1 ] f
% D& F2 v& U+ ], x; e) t( TDr. 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.* J |( Q* ?! J: Z) b
6 y+ I: q+ f+ G% I. D0 y/ |' lThe 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.' u' g5 \/ f% Q1 ~$ M; T! K6 F
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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.
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; F& C" P3 O: Z. l6 AThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said./ [' ?4 s" d4 z! h9 ]8 K% M
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"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.5 V5 T0 a+ g9 h' J8 u' d, R2 b
) X* A5 u3 P9 ~. _! a- x7 FMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine. v9 c. T/ w) T4 J
0 j. M, O8 \% [; ~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.: p h$ n7 {5 B+ H: n" k( F
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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.0 G8 Z8 z9 x; ~' g9 i! L8 ~
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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.( f, o) Y$ e6 Y3 d3 F$ X
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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.- T9 @4 d8 V1 S* \* j$ ~9 ]
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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.! h3 p5 P6 N% z: B* H2 d7 }
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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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