More H3N2v Cases In Indiana

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - The new flu virus linked to swine has now been found in 23 counties across Indiana.

On Thursday, the Indiana State Department of Health announced 138 human cases of variant influenza A, H3N2v, have been reported since July when the virus first started to appear in pigs at county fairs in Indiana and Ohio. The number of cases is up from 113 last week.

The counties in which the illness has been detected include Bartholomew, Delaware, Greene, Hamilton, Hendricks, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Porter, Scott, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Washington, White, and Whitley.

State health officials say all the cases have involved people who had contact with pigs or hogs, often times at county fairs. Cases of person to person transmission have not been determined.

Most people with the illness experience mild symptoms such as fever and respiratory symptoms, aches, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea. The illness can last anywhere from three to eight days. 

The Indiana State Department of Health has set up a call center to answer the general public’s questions regarding variant influenza A. The call center is open from 8:15 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.  The call center telephone number is (877) 826-0011.