Hog farmers attending the Kentucky State Fair next week will have extra inspections to pass because of an influenza outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the cases of Swine Flu have jumped from 29 to 158 this week.
Doctor Sue Billings, Kentucky Deputy State Veterinarian, says of the people with reported cases of H3N2v, 93% were under the age of 18.
Billings adds that they all had been exposed to swine, most of them at a state or county fair.
This is why Billings and other veterinarians will be performing “intense inspections” on the swine at the Kentucky State Fair.
The hogs coming from out of state must have been inspected within 72 hours of arriving at the fair. In state hogs will go through testing once they arrive. If any of the swine are carrying swine flu, they will not be allowed to stay at the fair.
Billings says the swine flu is passed through touch. And that the best way to prevent getting H3N2v is by not touching the pigs, washing your hands when you leave the barn, and never eating or drinking in the barn.
