New H3N2 Swine Flu Confirmed in Indiana

While Indiana appears to have dodged a bullet over recent years in confirmed cases of whooping cough, a new report shows that the state may now have to focus its concerns on the new swine flu virus, which has reportedly infected an increasing number of Midwesterners this summer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, twelve cases of the new H3N2 swine flu have been confirmed over the course of the last week – one in Indiana and 10 in the neighboring state of Ohio.

Nearly all of the infections have taken place in people that have close contact with pigs – mostly kids at agricultural fairs.

The CDC’s Joseph Bresee says they are not extremely concerned at this time simply because the virus does not appear to spread very easily through person-to-person contact – and fortunately, no one has died from it.

However, there is always an underlying concern when a pig virus starts jumping to people because not many individuals have a resistance to the disease.

Health officials are strongly advising people to wash their hands and take extra precautions whenever in close contact with pigs.

[NPR]