Three people attending the Minnesota State Fair appear to be infected with influenza after contact with pigs. One of the cases is confirmed to be an infection of the influenza variant H1N2. The other two cases are pending. Click below to read more.
Three people appear to have become infected with a strain of influenza after exhibiting pigs or visiting the swine barn at the Minnesota State Fair, health officials said Friday.
Only one of the three cases has been confirmed to be an infection of the influenza variant H1N2, and test results are pending for the other two people, Minnesota health officials said.
A teenage girl was confirmed to have the virus after she saw the pigs at the fair and became ill on August 26, officials said.
The other two cases involve an elementary-school-aged boy who became ill on August 27 after spending all day in the swine barn three days earlier and a woman in her late 70s who became ill on August 26 after spending a prolonged time in the swine barn and at the swine show in the Exhibit Hall on August 24, officials said.
The boy and woman had underlying health conditions and were treated with antiviral drugs, officials said. The woman was hospitalized and released.
All three patients have recovered or are recovering.
Official are asking individuals at high risk for severe influenza to avoid swine contact at exhibitions, fairs and other venues, including the swine barn at the state fair. High risk individuals include children 5 or younger, pregnant women, people 65 or older, and those with chronic medical conditions, officials said.
