 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps
R# B$ S2 Q. \* f/ j$ L7 L& e- s, o+ p7 ]
Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM2 x7 I+ Z: z/ p4 Q
. c U8 f" K' R" _& @ctvtoronto.ca' _3 ~ C; J X- W
6 q) l' O' e. _: m& ~8 B7 a
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reporting that 227 young people at three summer camps in cottage country have developed H1N1 flu.1 N: N t* f% x# a: U) S) S
: T9 a( K6 D* f5 T: h- yDr. 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.
* j7 \. }4 Z9 l2 @7 r" C* F: N2 i1 V3 y; K* S3 [9 T# K
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.$ r8 ~ ^: E: M i8 k* z5 y2 ^# L
1 z$ t/ Z; ^6 _$ D$ [& d8 jThe number of infected represents almost one in five campers and almost one in seven camp staffers at the affected camps.
/ \( H2 ~# a# J) V z: N+ F
J! n2 a- I5 I) d6 j6 N( _! X7 d$ I; yThe cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
! h: {- V* f7 F/ W& E! U
0 k. S4 Y7 v3 }# {"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.4 j+ g, n r A8 c; _! M; Y4 f/ G
+ J! A" ]9 i6 aMost of the infected campers have been sent home to recover. Those who can't be sent home for whatever reason are in quarantine.0 J4 { e. J3 X7 F! X
# i# k& l8 G e
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.+ R% \0 g) k( ^9 m' g1 A1 w/ z
6 F2 l& K" T2 Y9 D# `: Y"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.( @5 D- o. j. }$ h* d/ p' |. E5 y
2 d. p; G) k: g7 i# ?) A/ ~Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.) g4 e% r. W" E
5 T" [. C; G6 w4 n+ c7 |"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
0 E% B8 N5 D1 ]3 `- A: ?9 m4 v: b" Q& X# r
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.7 G4 u0 S# y- y1 _& U3 N3 e
2 t# _4 [! b* A* ?7 G$ \( i2 W
Gardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.4 g( r1 R% n; S! v6 q- Q6 l
* r+ p! }/ p' J6 ?
However, normally the district is usually more focused on working with camps to prevent outbreaks of gastroenteric diseases and on injury prevention, he said. |
|