New Cases Of Swine Flu Reported In Monroe County

Photo: Dan Goldblatt/WFIU News

While health officials say eating pork and even physical contact with hogs will not spread 'swine flu', they do recommend people wash their hands after coming into contact with any livestock.

The number of Monroe County residents with a confirmed case of the H3N2v strain of swine flu is on the rise. According to Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill, more than 70 residents are now infected with the virus.

Caudill says so far, no person-to-person transmissions have occurred, but her office is in contact with the state board of health and the Centers for Disease Control, which are monitoring the situation.

According to the CDC, the symptoms of the virus are similar to the seasonal flu, and many adults should have immunity to the virus. However, the CDC warns that many children may not have immunity to the virus, and special care should be taken to keep children and those susceptible to viral infections away from farm animals that may carry the virus.