Attention all fair goers
\nFor many families agricultural fairs are as much a part of summer fun as bonfires and trips to the beach. As opening day draws near, excitement builds in anticipation of sampling great food, playing carnival games, riding rides and getting nose to nose with a variety of animals.
\nWhile a great time is sure to be had by all, fair goers should enjoy swine exhibits with caution due to a relatively new virus, H3N2.
\nThe virus was first detected in people in 2011 and was responsible for a multi-state outbreak last summer that resulted in 306 cases, including 16 hospitalizations and 1 fatality. Most cases of H3N2 have been associated with exposure to pigs at agricultural fairs, where the virus can spread among pigs and between pigs and people.
\nSymptoms of H3N2 influenza are similar to those experienced with seasonal influenza, including fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, and headache.
\nRecommendations for avoiding H3N2 variant influenza include:
\n\u00b7 Those with asthma, diabetes, heart disease, neurological conditions, pregnant women, persons younger than 5 years , older than 65 years, or who have weakened immune systems should avoid exposure to pigs and swine barns at fairs this year.
\n\u00b7 Those who come into contact with swine at fairs should wash their hands often with soap and water before and after exposure to animals; avoid eating or drinking in animal areas; and avoid close contact with animals that look or act ill.
\n\u00b7 Those with influenza-like illness who are at high risk for influenza complications should see their health care provider to determine if treatment is warranted.
\n\u00b7 Those who experience influenza-like symptoms following direct or close contact with pigs and who seek medical care should inform their health care provider about the exposure.
\nPigs that appear sick with a runny nose or cough should not be taken to the fair as they might have been infected with H3N2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Attention all fair goers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35861\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}