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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
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* y0 r" ~& Z$ F) F# l9 ^ Q: bUpdated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM! S7 q. Y. Q7 h8 x" o- z' U
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1 u) b' `1 o0 X& R5 w' EThe 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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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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/ m( [/ X# l& d* r: S4 O& s" a8 T! o$ 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.
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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.2 Y5 w( o& M: s* O/ Q1 l5 v9 N
! [# d$ o2 `$ uThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.) x" U( @# O& ~" G" O
- z( I) z* m7 H H5 L4 z9 B"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.) S! @( `* f2 S, N- i: Q& k" X B
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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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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.
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" c4 G' K5 t" o0 }"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 q) r- N/ ?* C' ~- u9 R
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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.1 T! H% e) c. E. n: B
% T9 d [: @ p9 A3 ~Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.3 n: Y: [: a: x
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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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