CDC: Twelve new cases of pig flu

The Capitol Column | Daniel Liden | Saturday, August 04, 2012

According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 18th-27th cases of a new variant of influenza A, H3N2v, have been found in various states. One case in Hawaii, ten cases in Ohio, and one case in Indiana were reported by health care professionals. In each of the twelve newly-reported cases, the patients had recently had direct or indirect contact with pigs. The ten cases in Ohio, for instance, were all linked to a fair at which infected pigs were present.

The total number of cases of infection with H3N2v since July 2011 is now 29. Nineteen of these cases were connected to fairs at which infected pigs were present. In all but six of the cases, some direct or indirect contact with pigs was discovered in the patients’ recent histories. All individuals infected with the virus thus far have recovered fully. Only three people required hospitalization, and these three people fell into groups at high risk of contracting the virus.

This variant of the influenza virus is drawing CDC attention because it contains the M gene from the human influenza A virus, A(H1N1), the 2009 H1N1 virus. It is speculated that this M gene may increase the transmissibility of the virus from pigs to people and from people to people.

Most cases of H3N2v infection have occurred at fairs. Fairs, which often involve the display of many different animals, are prime places for pigs and people to interact, and the high concentration of people at fairs can transmit the virus to each other. The CDC provides detailed advice on how to avoid illness in such settings. Also, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians has published a guide on how to avoid contracting and spreading illnesses in public spaces with both animals and people present. That report is available here.

A number of key points appear in both the CDC’s advice and in the NASPHV report. Frequent hand washing with soap and running water is particularly important, particularly before and after handling animals. Refraining from eating and drinking in and around animal areas is also important. In fact, keeping all food and drink out of animal-containing areas can minimize the risk of infection. People at high risk of infection, such as pregnant women and people over sixty-five years of age, should be particularly careful around the animals. General good hygiene can also reduce the risk of infection by H3N2v and other infectious agents.

CDC: Twelve new cases of pig flu | The Capitol Column