Two strains of swine flu have sickened visitors to the Minnesota State Fair, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Four cases of H1N2v were reported after the patients exhibited pigs or spent time in the swine barn at the Fair. Two new presumptive cases of the H3N2v flu have occurred: one a school-aged girl form the Twin Cities area and another in a pre-school-aged boy from greater Minnesota. Both children have fully recovered. The children visited the swine barn at the Minnesota State Fair with their families on September 2, 2012 and became ill on September 5. Neither family was exhibiting swine at the fair. Specimens from both children have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation. This is the first time that human infection with … [Read more...]
First Swine Flu Death in Ohio
The Ohio Department of Health announced on Friday that the country's first known swine flu death took place in their state. A 61-year-old Madison county women was infected with the H3N2v virus and died. She had had direct contact with swine at the Ross County fair and had "multiple other underlying medical conditions" according to the statement. There are currently 102 cases of the H3N2v virus in Ohio. The age range of patients is between 6 months and 61 years. Most of the patients had only a mild illness, and there have been few hospitalizations in this outbreak. David Daniels, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, said, "swine flu is not uncommon, especially when temperatures have been high, as they have been this summer." Dr. Tony Forshey, state veterinarian at the Ohio … [Read more...]
CDC Says Don’t Panic over Swine Flu Cases; Now 152 Cases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a news conference today to try to calm fears over the increase in swine flu from contact with live pigs at state fairs around the country. There are currently 152 cases: Indiana (120), Ohio (30), Illinois (1), and Hawaii (1). Two people have been hospitalized, but they have recovered and have been released. Most of the ill were children who had direct contact with live swine. We told you about this outbreak last week, when there were 29 cases. The startling increase in the case count prompted the news conference. Dr. Joseph Bresee from the CDC's Influenza Division said this is not a pandemic. August is the month of state fairs, which explains the increase. He also stated that changes in the way "positives" are identified have played … [Read more...]
State Fair Warning: CDC reports Cases of H3N2v Swine Flu From Interacting with Pigs
The CDC has reported that there are now 29 cases of human infections of influenza A (H3N2) variant virus, which causes swine flu. There are two new cases reported in three states: one case in Hawaii, 10 cases in Ohio, and one case in Indiana. All of these cases occurred in people who had direct or indirect contact with live pigs before becoming ill. The ten cases in Ohio were associated with attendance at a state fair. The case in Indiana was also contracted at a state fair. The case count is as follows: Hawaii (1), Indiana (7), Iowa (3), Ohio (10), Maine (2), Pennsylvania (3), Utah (1), and West Virginia (2). The outbreak of this particular variant of the virus began in July 2011. The CDC stresses that influenza viruses have not been shown to transmit to people through eating … [Read more...]
