Huntingdon Residents Speak Out After Flu Outbreak

The Department of Health confirms that four people are suffering from a new kind of flu brought on by contact with pigs. Now there's no definite word on where the infected pigs are.

The new strain of the flu is called "H3N2v". The cases in Pennsylvania were kids that came in contact with pigs at this years Huntingdon County Fair. As of now, there's no evidence saying it can be spread person-to-person, but Dr. Robert Sullivan, an Infectious Disease Specialist says
it can be spread by the pigs.

"...the more time you're around the animal, the greater the likelihood that you may be exposed to actually pick up the infection yourself."

Many people who went to this year's fair are thinking twice about flu-like symptoms, like Paul Zeiders who took his son Cole.

"It's kind of scary when you think about it... My son's three, he gets colds pretty easy, it seems like any time we go out, especially during flu season, it's like you have to be cautious."

All the pigs that came to this years fair were given a Certificate of Veteranary Inspection, and they were all sold on Friday August 10th. Kurt Eysenbach is in charge of livestock at the fair. He says they push people to send the pigs to slaughter.

"We recommended that that they go to market, that's our standard recommendation every year for pigs and other animals that are sold through the sale."
 
Not knowing where the pigs are scares some folks, like Zeiders.

"...kind of scary actually, because you don't know, you just don't know if they were sent or if they weren't."

And who's to blame? Huntingdon's Valerie Hersh says the parents.

"Their parents should tell them make sure you wash your hands afterwards, and take all the proper precautions."

Alexis Powell, a student at Juniata College, says it's the fair's fault.

"I don't think it would be the people who raised the pigs fault, it would be more about what the policy that the fair would have towards that."

Zeiders can't quite place it.

"I don't know who you can blame on that, cause I doubt that the farmers would have known that their livestock was contaminated."

Eysenbach says fair officials did all they could.

"Everything that we did this year is what we should reasonably expect that you could do."

We spoke to officials at JC Blair Memorial Hospital, and the Department of Health, they say there haven't been any hospitalizations. 

The Department of Health also adds that handling or eating pork products presents no risk of exposure to the virus.