Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of a new swine flu that so far has sickened more than 100 children, mostly in the Midwest.
To date, 145 cases of the influenza (H3N2) have been diagnosed in four states since mid-July. Indiana has been hit the hardest, with 113 cases, followed by Ohio’s 30, and one in Illinois. There also was one case reported in Hawaii.
The unusual thing about H3N2 is how it spreads — predominantly from pigs at agricultural and county fairs to people who pet them, mostly children.
But it is not considered a serious flu, and little evidence exists showing that it can spread between humans.
H3N2 was first identified last summer, and sickened only a dozen people over the winter. Because of the speed at which it is affecting fair visitors this year, federal officials are warning people to wash up after touching pigs.
The flu is related to H1N1, which created a worldwide scare in 2009 and 2010, though it did not sicken or kill nearly as many people as experts had expected.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
A Swine Flu Virus Takes Off in Children at Midwestern Fairs But Makes Little Headway (by Jon Cohen, ScienceInsider)
CDC: Cases of New Swine Flu Strain Rising (by Caitlin Hagan, CNN)
Beware at Fair: New Flu Virus Can Pass from Pigs to People (by Elizabeth Weise, USA Today)
Fight Swine Flu by Calling it “H1N1 Flu” (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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