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3 Kids Contract Rare Flu After Washington County Fair


State officials say three Pennsylvania children who attended an agricultural fair in Washington County have contracted a new strain of influenza containing the H1N1 virus.

Authorities say all three children attended the Washington County Agricultural Fair the week of Aug. 13 to Aug. 20.

They say one child has recovered, while two confirmed ill over the weekend are recuperating.

The cases are similar to past human infections with swine-origin H3N2 viruses. But the new strain also contains the H1N1 virus linked to the 2009 flu pandemic.

The state is investigating how the illness was transmitted. But health department spokeswoman Christine Cronkright says there doesn't appear to be any human-to-human contact.

Anyone who attended the Washington County Fair and has flu-like symptoms should contact their medical provider or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH.

In a news release, health officials said they are conducting increased monitoring in southwestern Pennsylvania and setting up informational booths about influenza at agricultural fairs.

“We’re not telling people to avoid public venues or fairs,” said Pennsylvania DOH Secretary Dr. Eli Avila in a news release. “But, until we complete our investigation, we want to make sure that the public is aware and is taking the proper precautions to protect their health.”

Everyday preventative actions against influenza include coughing or sneezing into a tissue, your sleeve or elbow (not your hands), washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand cleaner and staying home from if you have flu-like symptoms to help keep others from catching your illness.

Read more: http://www.wtae.com/health/29084881/det ... z1X6doA31l

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News for Immediate Release
Sept. 5, 2011
Novel Influenza-A Cases Linked to County Fair; Pennsylvanians Should
Continue Flu Prevention Practices and Report Flu-like Illness
Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania departments of Health and Agriculture today
announced three cases of a novel influenza A virus have been identified, and are
now linked to an agricultural fair in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The first individual to become ill, announced on Friday, Sept. 2, has fully recovered
from the illness. Two other individuals, confirmed ill over the weekend, are
recovering. All three are children who reported attending the Washington County
Agricultural Fair the week of Aug. 13-20, 2011.
The cases in Pennsylvania are similar to previous, rare human infections with
swine-origin H3N2 viruses, but are unique in that they contain a genetic component
of the H1N1 virus.
A continuing investigation, which is being jointly undertaken by the departments of
Health and Agriculture, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), has not yet uncovered how the illness was transmitted to the three
individuals. However, no additional human infections with this virus have been
identified to date.
Anyone who attended the Washington County Fair and has flu-like symptoms
should contact their local health care provider or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH. Symptoms
would be similar to that of seasonal influenza, and would include fever, lethargy
(extreme tiredness), lack of appetite and coughing. Other influenza symptoms may
include a runny nose, sore throat, eye irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The Department of Health and the CDC are conducting increased surveillance and
tracking in southwestern Pennsylvania, as well as setting up informational booths
about influenza at agricultural fairs, while Department of Agriculture is continuing
with monitoring the health of animals at all exhibitions.
The Department of Health continues to urge the public to take everyday
precautions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, while the Department of
Agriculture reminds residents to remember to wash your hands after coming into
contact with animals at fairs and in other public venues.
“We’re not telling people to avoid public venues or fairs,” said Pennsylvania DOH
Secretary Dr. Eli Avila. “But, until we complete our investigation, we want to make
sure that the public is aware and is taking the proper precautions to protect their
health.”
Everyday preventative actions against influenza include:
· Coughing or sneezing into a tissue, your sleeve or elbow (not your hands);
· Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds,
especially after you cough or sneeze, or using an alcohol-based hand
cleaner;
· Keeping your hands away from your face – don’t touch your mouth, hands or
eyes;
· Keeping frequently used surfaces clean; and
· Staying home from work, school, and social gatherings if you have flu-like
and feverish symptoms to help prevent others from catching your illness.
For more information, visit www.health.state.pa.us or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH.
Media contacts:
Christine Cronkright or Brandi Hunter-Davenport, Pa. DOH; 717-787-1783
Samantha Krepps, Pa. Department of Agriculture; 717-787-5085
Tom Skinner, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 404-639-3286
###

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Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09051 ... A_H2H.html

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Three children who attended the Washington County Agriculture Fair last month all were sickened by a rare form of swine flu, the Pennsylvania departments of Health and Agriculture announced today.

The state announced the first child's illness on Friday, and that child has recovered. The other two are recovering after their illnesses were confirmed over the weekend, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The cases are unique because they contain a component of the 2009 H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.

No cases of human to human infection have been identified, said Christine Cronkright, a health department spokeswoman.

Anyone who attended the fair, which took place from Aug. 13-20, and has flu-like symptoms is asked to call 1-800-PA-HEALTH.


Read more: 3 children with swine flu attended Washington County fair - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1X7OWi8X3

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WTAE has figure below labeled Washington County Fair

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3 children contract H1N1 virus at Washington County agricultural event
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Three children who attended the Washington County Agricultural Fair last month have contracted a new strain of influenza that contains H1N1.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that one of the children has fully recovered, and the other two are expected to be fine.

"As far as how it was contracted, we don't know that yet," said health department spokeswoman Christine Cronkright. "The link to the fair is, obviously, the common denominator at this point."

This influenza A strain is unique because it includes both H3N2 and a genetic component of H1N1, the swine flu that resulted in a pandemic in 2009, according to Ms. Cronkright.

Health officials do not believe this strain of influenza is transmitted between humans, Ms. Cronkright said.

"We're trying to figure out how all these cases are inter-related," she said. "That's the big focus of this investigation."

According to the state Health Department, all three children attended the Washington County fair between Aug. 13 and 20.

The first patient became sick on Aug. 20. By Aug. 23, the child was believed to have some strain of the flu. The symptoms include fever, non-productive cough and lethargy.

The other two children became ill over Labor Day weekend.
At least two of the children were hospitalized, Ms. Cronkright said. She could not release their ages because of confidentiality laws.

In late July, a person in Indiana became ill with similar symptoms, along with diarrhea, shortness of breath and a sore throat. A novel strain of flu was suspected in mid-August. That case is not correlated to any of those in Pennsylvania, Ms. Cronkright said.

The Health Department is still trying to figure out what could have sickened the children in Pennsylvania.

H3N2 can be transmitted between humans and from animal to human, Ms. Cronkright said.

"We're still in the beginnings of this," she said. "But the investigation is moving pretty quickly."

The president of the Washington County Agricultural Fair was out of town Monday and could not be reached for comment.

The current flu vaccine includes combinations of both H3N2 and H1N1, but not this particular version.

But, Ms. Cronkright continued, if there is no human-to-human transmission, a vaccination may not be necessary.

"We're hopeful there isn't, so there won't be that huge threat," she said.

Anyone who attended the Washington County Agricultural Fair and has flu-like symptoms should contact their medical provider or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH.

Paula Reed Ward: pward@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2620.


First published on September 6, 2011 at 12:00 am


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11249...#ixzz1X97Gt7hy

Swine flu makes appearance in Western Pennsylvania
By Jodi Weigand, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
About the writer
Jodi Weigand is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer can be reached at 412-320-7910 or via e-mail.

Health officials are warning the public about several cases of swine flu that have appeared in Western Pennsylvania and seeking anyone who may have had contact with the virus.

"This may be just a few cases, and it may be nothing," said Christine Cronkright, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health. "We wanted to get the message out to the public as soon as possible that they should report the symptoms to us."

Three children who attended the Washington County Agriculture Fair last month contracted a rare form of swine flu, but it's unclear if that's where they caught the virus.

"We're not saying don't go to fairs or public venues," said Cronkright, who added that no cases of human-to-human infection have been identified. "Did they contract it at the fair? We don't know that yet. That's the one common link among all of them."

The first child became ill on Aug. 20 and has recovered. The other two, confirmed sick during the weekend, are recovering, according to a news release Monday from the health department. The cases are unique because they contain a component of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, that caused a 2009 pandemic.

The state Department of Agriculture monitors the health of animals at all exhibitions, spokeswoman Samantha Krepps said. She said no animals at the Washington fair were reported as ill or showed flu symptoms.

"We have health requirements for animals entered into fairs," she said.

Jeff Lash, vice president of the Washington County Fair Board, said he believes the fair isn't at fault.

"Nothing was found at our fair that caused any of these problems," he said.

The first case of the new virus in Pennsylvania was a girl younger than 5 who had contact with pigs at the Washington County fair, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state isn't releasing information about the other two children.

A child in Indiana state was sickened in July by the same virus, but it is unrelated to the cases here, the CDC said.

The new strain is a hybrid of viruses that have infected pigs over the past decade and a gene from the H1N1 strain that caused the pandemic two years ago. It's classified as an H3N2 virus. The current flu vaccine contains an antigen for H1N1, but is not effective against the new virus, according to the CDC.

The first child infected in Pennsylvania and the child in Indiana both had received flu shots.

The gene from the pandemic is one of the things that makes the new strain worrisome, because it appears it is important for transmission from person to person, said Dr. John Treanor, a flu specialist at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

"That's why we're taking a very close look at this," Cronkright said.

During the pandemic, nearly 2,000 swine flu cases had been confirmed by December 2009 in Western Pennsylvania and at least 18 people died. Most recently, a paramedic and dispatcher with a Fayette County ambulance service died in February from H1N1.

Anyone who attended the Washington County Agriculture Fair, which took place from Aug. 13-20, and has flulike symptoms is asked to call 800-PA-HEALTH.



Read more: Swine flu makes appearance in Western Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1XAMaBOSo

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Video at link below

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/09/ ... unty-fair/

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Commentary

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09061 ... Myths.html

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