People spreading H1N1 to animals!

The Minnesota State Fair, my all time favorite event of the year (great people watching, everything you could ever imagine deep-fried on a stick!) finally made national news. Unfortunately, recent tests confirmed that pigs at this summer's Minnesota State Fair were infected with H1N1 influenza virus. They are the first swine in the country to be found with the 2009 pandemic virus. Infection in the fair pigs does not necessarily mean contamination of commercial herds, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson, because the populations seldom share personnel or animal stock. Unfortunately, people likely spread it to the pigs, as there was a large 4-H child outbreak of H1N1 at the same time (and hundreds of children were affected!).

Rest assured - you can't get H1N1 from eating pork or pork products, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The samples collected at the fair were part of a University of Iowa and University of Minnesota research project funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a separate incident this month, Oregon State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Emilio DeBess suspects a Portland mother and her children may have accidentally infected their pet ferret with the H1N1 virus. DeBess tested and confirmed H1N1 in the animal, which is recovering. Ferrets have always been really predisposed to catching what humans have (and spreading their influenzas to humans). Be aware ferret owners!