MEYERSDALE —
Somerset County Fair leaders have been advised to step up sanitation and hand-washing advisories after four confirmed cases of a new flu virus in pigs were confirmed in children exhibiting livestock at Huntingdon County Fair earlier this month.
“We had a telephone conference call with the Department of Health,” swine exhibit superintendent Don Miller said at the fairgrounds. “They said to make sure everybody is washing their hands, and we are disinfecting the barns.”
The new strain of H3N2v influenza is typically associated with swine, but can transfer to humans through close contact, the state Health Department said in a press release.
It is the same virus that recently caused illnesses in Indiana and Ohio, mostly among children who were exhibitors at or attended agricultural fairs.
The Health Department and Department of Agriculture emphasize that handling or eating pork products presents no risk of exposure to influenza.
The risk for fair visitors is probably very low, Miller said, noting that hand-sanitizing stations have been installed at most of the fairground barns for several years. Visitors and exhibitors should wash and sanitize after touching any livestock and should not eat or drink in the animal barns, Miller said.
“People should use common sense and take steps to protect their health if they’re visiting or exhibiting in a county fair in the coming weeks, especially if they are at high risk for illness,” Health Secretary Dr. Eli N. Avila said in a press release.
The biggest risk is to the 4-H youth who are exhibiting their animals, Miller said.
“A visitor could catch something, but it’s very unlikely,” he said.
Somerset livestock coordinator Mary Ann Sorber said fair directors and 4-H leaders are re-emphasizing the safety and animal health guidelines that have always been an emphasis in Somerset.
“This is a really clean fair,” Sorber said. “Everything has been disinfected in all the barns. We disinfect every day.”
All animals exhibiting in Somerset must have a current health certificate and be checked over upon arrival, she said. If an animal gets sick during the fair, it is examined and then sent back to the farm.
“We have always been very conscientious about it,” Sorber said. “We usually have a veterinarian on the grounds if anything looks beyond our expertise.”
Veterinarian Vincent Svonavec of Animal Medical Center of Somerset County Inc. has children who bring animals to the fair, Sorber said. He is almost always on the grounds during fair week.
“If we have any problems, he’s really good about it,” Sorber said.
The 4-H children are getting the message, exhibitor Aubrey Moon, 16, of Somerset, said while grooming her pigs, Diamond and Vivian.
“After we are done taking care of them in the barn, we always go and wash our hands, and if we get anything on our shoes we wipe that off,” Aubrey said. “You want to keep (the animals) clean too and make sure they have water.”
Aubrey does not think the chance of flu should prevent fairgoers from having a good time, if they are careful. The youths’ project animals are like their pets, she added, so they get extra care and health testing.
People at high risk of influenza complications should use caution and consider avoiding areas where pigs are displayed, the Health Department advised.
High-risk individuals include children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, pregnant women and those with some chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems.
Flu viruses are mainly spread through the air from coughs and sneezes. Symptoms also include aches and fever.
There is no evidence that this new strain of pig flu has been transmitted from one person to another, the Health Department stressed.
Anyone with flu-like illness who has been in contact with live animals including pigs at agricultural fairs or on farms in the week before they got sick should contact their health-care providers or Health Department at 877-PA-HEALTH for advice and appropriate follow-up.
The Somerset County Fair opens today and continues through Aug. 25.
The Cambria County Fair will take place Sept. 2-8.
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