Sending kids to camp? What to watch for with swine flu

Sunburns, mosquito bites and scrapesmay bethe least of parents' worries as their children pack up and head to summer camps in the midst of a swine flu outbreak.

Dozens of children have been infected by the virus atsummer camps in Ontario's Muskoka region, about 150 kilometres north of Toronto.

Sowhat can parents do tominimize their child'srisk of catching the H1N1 flu without sacrificing the eagerly anticipated summer ritual?Here's a list of frequently asked questions about the outbreak.

Should I keep my child at home?

"If your child is sick, don't go to camp in the first place. If they are sent home, wait until they're better," says Dr. Michael Gardam, director of infectious disease prevention and control at the Ontario Agency of Health Protection and Promotion.

It may also be prudent to keep children at home if they suffer from other health-related issues. In general, however, children shouldn't avoid camp because of the outbreak, say doctors and camp officials.

My child may have contacted someone with swine flu. What should I do?

The health unit says that if your child is feeling fine, he or she can go to camp.

What has happened with the children who got sick?

Dr. Colin Lee, associate medical officer of health for the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit, says many of the sick children have gone home, partly because it's more comfortable to convalesce there. As well, it allows the camps to keep running. Other children, whose parents can't take them home, have stayed at the camps in areas isolated from other campers.

None of the sick children has been sent tohospital.

How worried should I be?

The majority of those infected by the virus suffered only minor illness, stressed Gardam.

"It doesn't mean that everybody gets mild illness, of course, but certainly, in particular, kids in this age group, they may get sick but they're typically not getting that sick," he says.

Gardam notes though that children who have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, lung problems and issues with their heart, are more vulnerable to getting sicker from influenza.

As for the possibility of more severe cases appearing, Gardam said, "all bets are off" on whether the virus could mutate into something more nasty.He leaned toward optimism but added that the number of cases will likely rise, especially as Canada nears flu season and children head back to school.

How should I preparemy children before sending them off to camp?

Gardam says parents should reinforce some basic hygiene rules suchhandwashing and coughing into sleeves with theirchildren before dropping them off at camp. Also, remind them to talk to camp counsellors if they are feeling sick.

The local health unit's websiteadvises campers and staff to follow these preventative measures:

• Wash your hands often for at least 15 seconds with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if you can't wash.
• Sneeze and cough into your upper sleeve.
• Do not come to camp if you are ill. The same goes for campers and staff.
• Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, using the bathroom, shaking hands, before eating or preparing food, before touching your face, and when you come into contact with someone who is sick.

Should mychild wear a mask at camp?

The public health unit doesn't recommend using masks at camps. They say evidence shows that wearing masks is not an effective way to prevent the spread of flu.

"Parents who feel strongly about wanting their children to wear masks should discuss this with their camp director," the agency's website says.

Are camps disinfecting common areas and bathrooms?

No enhanced cleaning or disinfecting is currently recommended, according to the public health unit.

What are camps doing?

Rick Howard, director and owner of Camp Tamarack in Bracebridge, Ont., says his campgot in touch with the local public health department when swine flu cases were first noticed.

The camp isolated kids who reached a certain level of fever and then sent some of them home to recover. It also had lots of hand sanitizers available and encouraged handwashing.

Onecabin was used as a place sick kids could go to rest and be monitored, but some never reached a level that required them to be sent home. "It was just out of an abundance of precaution," said Howard. "If their small fever went down, they were able to go back with their cabin and continue having the great summer that we're having here."

How should camps be handling the outbreak?

Lee says the health authority is encouraging camps to provide opportunities for handwashing and says camps have been good at doing that.

Camps have also been armed with guidance documents and have direct contact with the health unit forinformation on monitoring children who show signs of illness, how to isolate them and how to prevent the spread of influenza as much as possible, said Lee.

In a Q&A posted on the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit's website, it advises camps to adhere to the following practices:

• Send children with symptoms of illness home until they are well.
• If sending the child home is not an option, they should be isolated from others until they no longer have a fever and feel better.
• Campers and staff should be reminded daily about the importance of regular, thorough handwashing and good personal hygiene.
• Discourage campers and staff from sharing food, drinks and other personal items.

Gardamnotes that each camp is different and should set out its prevention strategies according to their owncircumstances.

"You could have two camps that look very similar on the outside but one camp actually has a fair percentage of kids that have underlying diabetes or something like that. And so it is very important for each camp to develop their own plan looking at the kind of kids they have there."

Should camps shut down because of the outbreak?

The region's public health unit states on its website that it doesn't anticipate any camp closures due to the H1N1 flu, just as they wouldn't shut down for seasonal flu.

"We're right on top of the situation, and if we feel that there is a need for a camp to be closed, we would," said Lee, associate medical officer of health for the local health unit.

One reason a camp may decide to close its doors is if too many staff members fall ill and it becomes difficult to operate the facilities. Also, if recommended prevention measures fail to curb the outbreak or the severity of cases rises, camps may be advised to close, said Lee.

Is it almost over?

Rick Howard, director and owner of Camp Tamarack, says the influenza hit his camp last week and now almost everyone who was sent home is back at camp. After speaking with public health authorities, Howard said he's "quite confident" the problem is in "our rearview mirror."

Even though the outbreakmight appearto be abating, however, doctors warn there could bemore outbreaks, because camps constantly see new rotations of children brought into the mix.

"There is the possibility that things could die down near the end of the week, you bring in new campers, and suddenly it just starts to flare up again," says Gardam.