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economist suntribune health saturday feb 16 2002 high absentee rate at nine schools prompts reminder from public health department wash your hands officials by lisa queen staff writer more vigilant about instruct- over the past month january and midfebruary ing youngsters to wash their nine elementary schools according to bill mindell york regions public hands properly after hun- from across the region director of infectious dis- healtti department is asking dreds of children were off reported unusually high eases control parents and teachers to be sick with mysterious bugs absentee rates between mid- he declined to identify to wnrfeadvenfure make marmkm your diestinatiohtkis march break v v af j 1 x malfe ff6itidiibitibrisinthe i museumvto costumedu guides dufpuglioutjthe village i history comes to life activities include wa march artvbreak ji vagon w programsforchildren46 i if- f u s i r xt i jjhourjsessionstnmfrom io s or i00oopmcost perrograni art pillows smonday jmarch ii vl a r vr v- r- fdnevdaymarclri3 v r- jtwwvxvpit tf iattxrn cvu create a ninleviribbileout of rectclkble materials the schools but said the last one hit was just getting back to normal the end of last week at its peak 540 of the nine schools 4680 students were off sick one day said mr mindell adding his depart ment reported the absentee rates to the ministry of health its not some sort of serious outbreak now its over while one case of influen za b was confirmed he said students were suffering from a number of symptoms rang ing from upset stomachs and vomiting to fever chills and sore throats a lot of illnesses were very mild said mr mindell adding several toronto schools experienced the same thing the upshot of all of this was we found very little in terms of specific illnesses and we think there was more than one thing going on its not some sort of seri ous outbreak now its over mr mindell who said let ters went home from the nine schools advocating handwashing and general hygiene stressed the need for parents to cooperate with public health when there is a suspected health outbreak at their childrens schools participating in surveys and collecting stool or mucous samples allows the department to determine the cause of the illness thats what helps us to get to the bottom of things mr mindell said the regional municipality of york this is your opportunity to be involved in improving transportation in york region highway 7 corridor transitway study as one of the fastest growing municipalities in canada york region is facing a number of transportation challenges a top priority of the region is to ensure the development of a high quality public transit system highway 7 is one of the busiest transportation routes in york region and past studies have identified that a rapid transit service is essential in improving the traffic movement in this corridor the region has consequently initiated the highway 7 corridor transitway study to address these needs the first step in the transitway study is to develop the terms of reference as required under the individual environmental assessment process the scope and success of this study depends greatly on public input and participation the second round of public consultation centres will be held on the following dates the purpose is to obtain public input about the study findings friday february 15 2002 hillcrest mall richmond hill 9350 yonge st at carrville rd 1200 pm 800 pm saturday february 16 2002 bathurst clark resource library 900 clark ave west vaughan bathurst st clark ave 1200 pm 500 pm saturday march 2 2002 markville mall markham 5000 highway 7 east hwy 7 mccowan rd 1200 pm 500 pm to receive further information on this study please refer to the project web site at wwwregionvorkonca and click on sustainable transportation initiatives if you wish to have your name placed on our mailing list or to direct questions and comments please contact john barnes infrastructure planning phone fax email address 18774649675 ext 5030 905 8950191 transitwayregionyorkonca highway 7 corridor transitway the regional municipality of york transportation and works department 17250 yonge street newmarket ontario l3y6z1 gion