THE BALLOON MAN

Health officials on watch for swine flu at fairs

 

from:  courierpress.com
By The Associated Press
Posted June 27, 2013
Photo by Kyle Robertson
In this Aug. 1, 2012 photo, a sign warning people to wash their hands after being near farm animals hangs outside the Swine Barn at the Ohio State Fair, in Columbus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012, there's been a five-fold increase of cases of a new strain of swine flu that spreads from pigs to people, thanks to a wave of new cases confirmed in Indiana and Ohio, many of them attributed to contact at fairs. The flu does not seem to be unusually dangerous, like the strain in 2009 that killed at least 12,000. Most or all of the cases appear to have spread from pigs to humans, meaning it's not very contagious. (AP Photo/Columbus Dispatch, Kyle Robertson)
INDIANAPOLIS — State health officials are keeping a watch out for signs of the swine flu at county and 4H fairs in Indiana after four people became sick with the H3N2v influenza A after visiting the Grant County Agricultural Fair.
The state health department says there were 138 cases of that strain reported in Indiana last year. Two of the people who became ill in Grant County had contact with swine. Health officials say human infections with H3N2v are rare but have most commonly occurred after being near live infected pigs.
The State Board of Animal Health says 13 pigs at the fair tested positive for H3N2.
State Health Commissioner William VanNess says people who attend fair should wash their hands frequently and avoid taking food near areas where animals are kept.