Ingham County resident tests positive for swine flu

LANSING — An Ingham County resident has tested positive for swine flu, prompting officials to recommend people monitor for flu-like symptoms.

The swine flu variant, or A H3N2v, is different from highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has affected dairy and poultry farms, officials said.

“While we believe this is an isolated case, Michigan residents should monitor for flu-like symptoms: fever, respiratory symptoms like cough and runny nose and body aches,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive, said in a Friday news release. “If you have these symptoms, we recommend taking a test for influenza as well as COVID-19. Home COVID-19 tests are widely available, and both flu and COVID-19 tests are available at many pharmacies, urgent cares and clinics. Regardless of test results, please stay at home until you have recovered.”

The positive test for influenza A H3N2v came in late July, the state health department said. The presumptive positive test was later confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Influenza A H3N2v is associated with pigs or swine, though the source of the Ingham County resident's exposure was still unclear, health officials said.

The news release said the state agriculture department would assist if a connection is made to a sick animal.

Emergency room visits for influenza are low in Michigan, and officials said they believe the public heallth risk is low. But while the infection has not been linked to exposure to pigs or other animals, officials were recommending basic precauations be taken at farms, fairs and exhibits.

For example, people should avoid eating or drinking in livestock barns and not take toys, pacifiers, baby bottles or other items into areas holding pigs, they said. Frequent hand-washing with soap and water also is a good idea, and anyone at high risk of serious flu complications should avoid pigs and swine barns.

Most people recover from the flu, including illnesses from H3N2v, but infections can cause severe disease, even in healthy people, health officials said. The same antiviral drugs used to treat seasonal flu can be used to treat H3N2v in children and adults, they said. These treatments are most effective when taken early in the illness.

Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com . Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj .

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Ingham County resident tests positive for swine flu