Swine Flu at County Fairs Is Back

A relatively new strain of the swine flu virus that sickened more than 300 people last year is back again this summer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The strain, called H3N2 variant virus, infected four people who visited a county agricultural fair in Indiana this month. None of the infected individuals were hospitalized, and none died.

Because this virus is typically transmitted from pigs to people, the CDC officials are urging people at high risk for flu complications — such as young children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions — to avoid pigs at county fairs.

Continued: http://www.livescience.com/37857-swine-flu-county-fair-h3n2.html

Why You Shouldn't Kiss Pigs at the County Fair

LiveScience Staff

Some prize pigs at Ohio's county fairs may have a dark secret.

Two months ago, a 61-year-old Ohio woman died after catching a new strain of swine flu. Her death was the first fatality linked to a variant of influenza A virus H3N2 (H3N2v), which first appeared in humans in 2011 and has infected more than 300 people this year.

Like many individuals who caught H3N2v this summer, the woman who died had contact with pigs at a county fair, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The flu-risk at livestock exhibitions might be especially high because the majority of flu-positive pigs at county fairs don't show any outward signs of illness, a new study suggests.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/24286-fair-pigs-carry-flu-transmission.html

3 cases of swine flu tied to fair - via D R Shoop

Three cases of swine flu have been reported among visitors at the Minnesota State Fair, only the sickened visitors didn't contract the new flu strain that has triggered national concern in recent weeks.

One of the victims was a teenage girl who was exhibiting pigs. She became ill on Aug. 26, the fourth day of the fair, and sought treatment from a State Fair nurse. The others were a school-age boy who spent "all day in the swine barn on Aug. 24" and became sick three days later, the state Health Department said Friday, and a woman in her late 70s who also had spent considerable time around the swine barn and swine show that day.

The elderly woman was hospitalized briefly. All three are now recovering.

Their illnesses were detected in part because of the fair's heightened concerns about an H3N2v strain of swine flu that has circulated nationally at livestock fairs and animal markets.

That virus has been found to spread easily from pigs to humans, and was linked to illnesses of two young siblings at a Dakota County animal market earlier this month. But the three sickened people at the State Fair were infected by a different H1N2v strain. Lab tests from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed one of the infections. Test results regarding the other two are pending.

So far the new strain of influenza resembles ordinary seasonal flu, with symptoms including fever and runny nose. But health officials have been on high alert because flu viruses can mutate and spread rapidly after jumping from one species to another.

"For the past two weeks, we have been looking very hard for cases of influenza in people who have been exposed to swine," said Richard Danila, deputy state epidemiologist. "We have also worked closely with our veterinary colleagues to remain informed about potential infections in swine at the fair."

So far this year, H3N2v has sickened nearly 300 people in the U.S., mostly children or exhibitors at agricultural fairs in the Midwest. The first death related to the infection was reported on Friday, and involved a 61-year-old woman with other health problems who had visited a county fair in Ohio.

Read on:  http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/168207056.html?refer=y

New Swine Flu Strain Bumps Infection Up To 145 People

A day after Indiana state health officials shut down a pig barn at a state fair due to dozens of swine flu cases surfacing, reportedly stemming from visits to area fairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement saying a new strain of the flu has infected at least 145 people since July 12 — a significant jump from just 12 confirmed cases last week.

CDC’s Dr. Joseph Bresee said earlier that, “we’re seeing a big increase, and we think it’s a real increase.”

So far, most of the cases have been mild; two have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Still, the CDC is advising people to take precautions when attending fairs. It is important for people to wash their hands before and after they are near swine and to not eat or drink while in close proximity to pigs.

As of today (August 10), human cases of H3N2v (the new strain of swine flu) have been confirmed in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Hawaii. Most of the cases have so far been localized in Indiana and Ohio.

H3N2v resembles a typical seasonal flu and most healthy people should recover in a few days without medical attention. But in rare cases, treatment with antiviral medication may be needed.

The CDC said that the cases this year have occurred after exposure to infected pigs. When a sick pig coughs or sneezes, virus-infested droplets enter the airway where they make their way onto surfaces and eventually onto people. People can also catch the virus by touching an infected pig and then touching their face.

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Continued:  http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112673708/swine-flu-infection-081012/

Swine Flu Vaccine May Be Linked to Rare Nerve Disorder

The H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine was associated with a small but significant risk for developing a rare nervous disorder called Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), say doctors in a report detailed in the July 11 issue of  the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The study, conducted in Quebec, rekindles the still-controversial connection between Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) and the 1976 swine flu outbreak, which halted that year's flu vaccination program in the United States. It also raises questions about vaccines for flu strains originating in swine.

This latest analysis, led by Philippe De Wals of Laval University, Quebec City, Canada, followed 4.4 million residents vaccinated against the H1N1 "swine flu" in late 2009. Over the next six months, 25 people who received the vaccine developed GBS. Across the Quebec province, however, another 58 people who were not vaccinated also developed GBS.

http://www.livescience.com/21504-swine-flu-vaccine-nerve-disorder-gbs.html