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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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6 z% r5 {! N* A4 n4 cUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM: Z9 Y) {" b! i) M( q
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ctvtoronto.ca( e* {, N' j U; s+ q
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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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, L b3 I8 v3 ]' |5 }* 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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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.' e9 l/ ^' t7 W- c0 B( H
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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.0 T8 r4 P0 O4 k0 F' d& x" v' R
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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.# Y+ J9 _4 @6 N& Z! T' Y
& ~# e, p1 B$ g$ E"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.( h0 A) D( ?' B( P1 }* p0 Z3 T7 z! R
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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.
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6 r' Z6 Y3 M; VGardner 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.7 Z- N$ K- E0 q$ R( N, n9 s
1 _0 X% ?5 g# Z"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 C8 A" u' n
, D) G. V0 e8 l1 @Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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_5 O& x& a$ B7 w- `7 }: _8 K"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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Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.( B! t4 u6 A7 _0 Y" K
% G/ K+ H! n5 W) j! c& UHowever, 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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