COLUMBUS – State officials say nearly 50 hogs at the Franklin County Fair were removed for slaughter after at least two animals tested positive for swine flu.
READ MORE: In The Columbus Dispatch
The Ohio Department of Agriculture says the hogs were removed from the fair on Wednesday for slaughter. The Franklin County Agricultural Society said Thursday that livestock areas have been disinfected and no swine flu was present on the fairgrounds, located in Hilliard, the Franklin County Agricultural Society said in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon. The fair will continue as planned through Saturday.
State officials last week ordered 300 hogs slaughtered after the discovery of at least two swine flu cases at the Clinton County Fair.
Agriculture Department spokesman Mark Bruce told The Columbus Dispatch the two incidents weren’t related and involved different strains of influenza. He said viruses have an easier time infecting the animals when the weather is hot and humid.
“The Ohio Department of Agriculture was contacted immediately and every protocol was followed,” the post said. “Anyone coming to the fairgrounds can feel comfortable that the grounds are safe.”
Organizers say it was the first appearance of swine flu — in this case, H1N1 — at the Franklin County Fair in recent history.
All 48 pigs removed from the fairground were destined for a slaughter facility eventually, said Ohio Department of Agriculture spokesman Mark Bruce. They will be processed for market by Friday morning, he said, and the meat will be safe to eat.
Swine flu can be transmitted to humans by direct contact with pigs. Symptoms in humans develop about one to three days after exposure to the virus and are similar to other flu strains: cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, watery eyes, body aches, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes a fever, according to the Mayo Clinic.