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H1N1 flu outbreak reported at Ontario summer camps1 I! ^8 m: t/ m
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Updated: Wed Jul. 15 2009 3:50:08 PM* Q ^" _) [3 E) _: J4 f% m
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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.' ]! f4 D( {# p- h$ I8 @# z0 A/ H; `) I% U
* E* @7 K' A% a$ lDr. 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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& O# X0 o3 d8 w |. H- k. O: RThe 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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The cases developed in the past week. All are considered mild, meaning no one required hospitalization, Gardner said.
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4 S# |: d3 a1 M2 ]. |% \+ S) G"The camps are working very closely with the health unit to implement what we call control measures," he said.
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) A- o' P- O lMost 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.# r, o. \ Y2 h% ]1 C
- R' w. N; {9 N" \ d"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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Parents can help by making sure they aren't sending sick children to camp, Gardner said.* b0 v& ~1 D) f* d
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"Do not send your children to camp if they have any influenza-like illness," he said.
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" q1 C9 ?& q5 g% TThose 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.+ n1 r; s$ f7 b3 o6 |' @
6 ?4 E$ K& w* h) _# WGardner said the district thought there could be some outbreaks at camps this summer, given that some cases had occurred in schools.. R& l) K* }3 c! H0 Z* x* }6 J# E3 ?; |
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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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