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A spirit that is not afraid

Swine Flu Incident at Local Summer Camp Event

Two children attending the Kaleidoscope camp at Auburn Junior High School on July 15 were diagnosed with H1N1 influenza.

The parents of the children, both from the same family, informed the City of Auburn Parks and Recreation who had organized the summer camp.

"The parents notified us that the children had been diagnosed last Wednesday," said Becky Richardson, director of Auburn Parks and Recreation. "They (the children) were currently enrolled in that weeks session of the camp."

The city of Auburn immediately took action to inform the community to take precautions.

"We notified all of the parents and instructors to let them know to look for symptoms," Richardson said. "We asked parents if their child came down with any kind of illness, not to bring them to camp."

Richardson said they have stepped up on their hand washing and other precautions the CDC recommends to help prevent the virus.

She said there are no reports of any new symptoms from children or instructors of the Kaleidoscope camp that the children were enrolled in. Camp sessions will continue as normal for the summer.

The Alabama Department of Health believes it is unusual to see the swine flue continuing to spread.

"The fact that we are seeing new cases presented are unusual, there have been 25 confirmed cases in Lee County," said Dr. Jim McVay, director of health promotion and chronic disease. "There have been a total of 469 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza in the state of Alabama."

McVay said Alabama is very fortunate that there have not been any deaths from the 469 cases in the swine flu.

"Since I have had the regular flu twice, I know how awful the effects can be," said Allison Barber, a senior in business. "I had no idea that there were that many cases in Alabama and that worries me."

McVay advises the community to take precautions when children in the area start back to school.

"Our concern is when children start going back to school in the fall, if it is still circulating in the community," he said. "Of the 67 counties in Alabama, 37 of them have had cases."

McVay said when we start back to school it is important to wash your hands frequently with soap, or even hand sanitizer. Because with young children they will touch a door knob, table top and then put their hands in their mouths. Sanitation is very important.

"Parents that notice symptoms like a body ache, spiked fever or other flu-like symptoms should contact a physician immediately and get a recommendation from them," McVay said.

"They should keep the children at home and away from group settings such as school or day care," he said. "They should not put the child back into a group setting until seven days after the first signs of illness, and when they have not been sick for over a 24 hour period of time. Isolation is very important."

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