Agricultural fair attendees should wash their hands and take precautions when near pigs after more than 100 new cases of swine flu surfaced last week, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health advisory.
There were 16 new cases reported to the CDC from July 12 to Aug. 3. But last week saw a 681 percent increase with 125 new reported cases in humans. None were in Maryland, according to a CDC report issued Friday.
Many cases reported contact with swine, such as at an agricultural fair, according to the CDC. Most cases have been mild and resolved on their own, according to a transcript of a news teleconference with Joseph Bresee, of the CDC influenza division. None had resulted in death as of Thursday.
New cases since July 12 cases were reported in Hawaii, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana. Between August and December 2011, there were only 12 new cases of swine flu in humans, according to the CDC.
This is not a pandemic situation, according to Bresee, but the CDC is closely monitoring the situation.
The Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair, which ended Aug. 4, did not have any animals sent home because they were sick, according to Andy Cashman, the county's fair livestock superintendent.
The county has hand-washing stations sprinkled throughout the grounds and veterinarians checking the animals, he said, which are similar precautions to the state fair.
Worcester County Fair ends today, and Montgomery County Fair ends Aug. 18.
The Maryland State Fair, held Aug. 24 to Sept. 3, will be on high alert for the virus and will be taking safety precautions, ones the fair's taken for at least 50 years, said Cashman, who is also the Maryland State Fair's assistant general manager.
The fair hired a veterinarian to be on site 24/7, he said.
Every pig has papers stating it's healthy that a veterinarian has signed before it is allowed into the fair. Veterinarians at the fair will in turn check the pigs to ensure they're looking healthy before entering, and inspectors will walk through and check the livestock during the fair.
In the past 30 years, the Maryland State Fair has only needed to send home about a handful of animals, Cashman said.
It's rather simple to tell when a pig's sick, Cashman said. It's like a child - they'll have symptoms, such as a runny nose, diarrhea and/or a temperature.
If agricultural fair attendees go in the petting zoo, the birthing center or touch pigs, they should scrub their hands afterward in one of the about a dozen hand-washing stations scattered throughout the Maryland State Fair, he said.
"That's the best thing we can tell people is to make sure they wash their hands," Cashman said. "It's just good hygiene anyways."
His rule of thumb for ensuring clean hands: sing "Happy Birthday" while scrubbing, and that's a sufficient length of time.
Symptoms of swine flu include fever, cough and headache, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommended in its advisory that attendees avoid eating or drinking in animal areas and wash their hands. Those in high risk for exposure - which includes people with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women, children younger than five and the elderly - should consider avoiding the pigs.
