TORONTO - With at least eight summer camps across Ontario having confirmed cases of swine flu or flu-like illnesses, health officials assured parents Thursday it's safe to keep sending their kids to camp -- as long as they are healthy.
Three camps in the heart of the province's cottage country, Muskoka, and one in the Ottawa area have reported confirmed cases of the novel strain.
Three more camps in Muskoka were under the microscope and another in neighbouring Haliburton was being observed because of cases of respiratory illness.
"Because of this virus, H1N1, largely affecting younger populations, we will potentially expect to see more outbreaks in summer camps, like we did, during the school season in school children," said Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health.
"Parents need to understand and be reassured that it safe to send their children to camp, it is safe for them to go to camps, and that we all need to be -- this summer in particular -- but every year, vigilant about infection control."
None of the camps in the Muskoka -- where 227 children became ill -- or Haliburton regions have been ordered closed.
The Christie Lake Kids camp, near Ottawa, had two confirmed cases of H1N1 in early July and closed temporarily to clean down its facilities. It is now open again.
King said parents must keep in mind that there have only been mild cases at a few camps out of the province's more than 300, noting the occurrences remain relatively rare.
"We want to do everything we can to prevent those outbreaks from occurring in the first place and we want to make sure that they're well managed when they occur," King said.
But Ontario health officials are not recommending camp closures and King said parents should feel confident sending healthy kids to camp.
The Ontario Camps Association has been distributing guidelines from the province and local health units to all its 326 member camps to ensure all facilities follow recommended steps to keep the flu at bay.
"This is a global issue that has entered camps and we're doing everything we can," said Aruna Ogale, executive director of the OCA.
The association is making all its camps contact their local health units when they have four or more cases of any illness.
Parent's are repeatedly being told to keep their kids at home if they show any signs of fever, cough or the sniffles.
"Camp, by and large, is a very healthy place. It's the experience of a lifetime," said Ogale. "But kids will only have fun at camp if they're healthy."
Ogale said all OCA camps are offering to re-schedule visits for campers who have to stay home and get over any illness before they attend a session.
Camps are a great place for children to learn good hand hygiene and sneeze-cough etiquette which can minimize the spread of a virus, she added.
"Camp remains a fantastic experience for children and (parents) should really put everything in perspective and still send their kids to camp."
Officials at the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit say while they're monitoring a camp in the area, they have not had any confirmed cases of H1N1. The unit distributed information on infection prevention and control earlier in the summer and is in close contact with camps in the area.
"We're being very vigilant and so are our camps," said Linda McCarey, assistant director of communicable disease control at the unit.
Dr. Na-Koshie Lamptey of the Simcoe-Muskoka health said the three camps in her region with confirmed cases are past their peak with fewer new cases being reported everyday. None of the camps in the region have been closed due to illness and all cases are still considered mild, she added.
Ontario Health Minister David Caplan reassured parents Thursday that their kids aren't in danger, saying the province is keeping a close eye on the situation.
He's also being told by experts that summer camps can remain open as long as they continue to follow ministry guidelines around the necessary precautions.
