On October 16, 2009, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the department’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories “will be conducting confirmatory testing on swine samples collected at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair between August 26 and September 1.” This, according to a news release issued by the USDA.
The goal of the testing is to determine whether or not the samples from the state fair are the 2009 version of H1N1, or some other version. Both children housed at a dormitory at the fair “at the same time samples were collected from the pigs” have fallen ill with the 2009 pandemic; however, information available at this time suggests “the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs.”
The sampled pigs showed no signs of the H1N1 illness and appeared healthy at the time of sampling. The University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota collected the samples that were to be tested from a “cooperative agreement research project funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which documents influenza viruses where humans and pigs interact . . .” The National Veterinary Services Laboratories may have results back within the next few days.
As always, it is worth reminding readers that one cannot contract the virus simply by eating pork products.
To read the USDA news release click here.
To find out more information on the USDA and their efforts against H1N1 click here.
The goal of the testing is to determine whether or not the samples from the state fair are the 2009 version of H1N1, or some other version. Both children housed at a dormitory at the fair “at the same time samples were collected from the pigs” have fallen ill with the 2009 pandemic; however, information available at this time suggests “the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs.”
The sampled pigs showed no signs of the H1N1 illness and appeared healthy at the time of sampling. The University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota collected the samples that were to be tested from a “cooperative agreement research project funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which documents influenza viruses where humans and pigs interact . . .” The National Veterinary Services Laboratories may have results back within the next few days.
As always, it is worth reminding readers that one cannot contract the virus simply by eating pork products.
To read the USDA news release click here.
To find out more information on the USDA and their efforts against H1N1 click here.
Posted: 10/19/09
