Case of swine flu linked to Oakland County Fair; infected pigs might have been in barn
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – An exhibitor at the Oakland County Fair has tested positive for the highly contagious swine flu, and health officials are now reaching out to anyone who visited the barn with potentially infected pigs.
A Lapeer County resident who was an exhibitor at the fair got sick, and tests identified a presumptive positive case of the swine flu, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
That sample is being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation of the swine flu.
The fair took place at the Springfield Oaks County Park in Davisburg from July 7-16.
Oakland County health officials are reaching out to swine exhibitors and their families who visited the swine barns at the fair. They’re hoping to identify any additional cases in anyone who might have been exposed to influenza from infected pigs.
Doctors in the area have been alerted to watch for patients showing swine flu symptoms.
“Visitors of the Oakland County Fair should monitor for flu-like symptoms: fever, respiratory symptoms like cough and runny nose, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea,” MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said. “If you believe you may have the flu, contact your health care provider and stay home until you have recovered.”
Symptoms
Here’s information about the swine flu from MDHHS:
Pigs may be infected with swine influenza viruses that are different from human flu viruses. Swine flu viruses spread among pigs and – while rare – they can spread from pigs to people too. Spread of swine flu viruses from a pig to a person is thought to happen in the same way that human flu viruses spread; mainly through droplets when infected pigs cough and sneeze. Symptoms of variant influenza infection in people are similar to those of seasonal flu viruses and can include fever and respiratory symptoms, such as cough and runny nose, and possibly other symptoms, such as body aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Infections with influenza viruses (including variant viruses like influenza A H3) can sometimes cause severe disease, even in healthy people. Severe illness can include complications, such as pneumonia, which may require hospitalization, and sometimes causes death. People who are at high risk of developing complications if they get variant influenza infection include children younger than 5 years of age, people 65 years of age and older, pregnant women and people with certain long-term health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions. The time period it takes from exposure to illness for variant influenza is similar to that of seasonal influenza, which can be up to 10 days, but is most commonly three days. Currently, there is no vaccine for influenza A H3 and the seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against Influenza A H3; however, prescription antiviral drugs, such as oseltamivir and zanamivir, are effective in treating influenza A H3 virus infections. Early treatment works best and may be especially important for people with a high-risk condition. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
How to protect yourself from the swine flu
Source: WDIV ClickOnDetroit
