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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps! i2 p* z8 a; p4 e
! I5 r0 u' P" r9 iUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM( E, {( Q3 K$ K, r5 n9 P; O
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# i& {8 C9 A# J4 Z' ?The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.; D2 A+ |2 l3 w9 u, Z( x
! Q; U2 ]3 W9 [2 wDr. 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.
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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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( `( W) t1 K. h7 ?9 z, YThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said. F" E! X" v; a r: f/ y
/ O4 h/ _) a' G" o# E"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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+ j% B5 P( G b% G4 wMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.' h) U8 K. i7 v
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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.4 @6 p$ `5 ]0 s$ s
5 r6 B+ P6 Z- I"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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+ `; Z: A! `( KParents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.
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' V+ m3 X- {. ?- K; R$ T" N5 m. h' 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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5 D( _5 l" K! _. z; Y4 x0 RGardner 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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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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