Human case of swine flu linked to Michigan county fair

Health officials have identified the first human case of swine flu linked to this year’s Oakland County Fair.

The “presumed positive” test result came from a Lapeer County resident who was an exhibitor at the fair July 7-16 at Springfield Oaks County Park in Davisburg, according to the state health department. No further details about the person were provided.

A respiratory specimen will be sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to confirm it’s a positive case of the influenza A H3 variant.

Last week, state officials found several pigs at the fair tested positive for swine flu. While rare, swine flu can be spread from pigs to humans through respiratory droplets, and subsequently from human to human.

On Wednesday, July 26, the state reported the first human case stemming from the fair. Representatives of the Oakland County Health Division had been reaching out to exhibitors and their families to gauge if there had been any spread to people.

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said visitors of the fair should monitor for flu-like symptoms including fever, respiratory symptoms like cough and runny nose, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Symptoms can take up to 10 days to appear.

“If you believe you may have the flu, contact your health care provider and stay home until you have recovered,” Bagdasarian said.

Swine flu has not been shown to spread through eating properly handled and prepared pork or other pig products, according to the CDC.

Like other types of the flu, some cases can lead to severe illness. People who are at high risk of developing complications include children younger than 5, people 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with certain long-term conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease.

The annual flu shot does not prevent influenza A H3. However, there are antiviral drugs that are effective in treating infections and early treatment works best.

Health care providers in the area have been alerted to watch for people presenting with respiratory symptoms who report exposure to swine or who visited the fair.

Last year, the state identified a case of swine flu in a fairgoer who attended the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs.

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