"It's very unfortunate:" 280 hogs slaughtered after 1 tested positive for swine flu at county fair



WILMINGTON, Ohio -- All of the hogs at an Ohio county fair were slaughtered, and the hog barn was set to be disinfected as a result of the swine flu.

There was a quarantine barn at the Clinton County Fair in Wilmington, Ohio Friday, July 14th.

"We got notification late this morning that we had a single case of H3N2 virus," Scot Gerber, Agricultural Society president said Friday.

Fair officials said one of the hogs had a fever, and tests came back positive for swine flu. The hog barn was then off-limits, with only breeders and exhibitors allowed in.

"I noticed the sheriff all around it and I knew something wasn't right," Larry Satterphwaite said.

The nearly 280 hogs were set to be slaughtered Friday night. Officials would then disinfect the barn to make sure the virus doesn't spread. This has sent shockwaves through the hog breeding community.

"It's been a hard day. Got a lot of kids that have gilts or barrows or whatever that we were going to retain and now they've got to be slaughtered. It's very unfortunate," Joey Johnson, hog breeder said.

While the hog barn was quarantined, the rest of the fair was in full swing, and safe for visitors. However, health officials did warn that anyone feeling flu-like symptoms should see a doctor.

"If they have a fever, if they have a sore throat, if they have a dry cough in some way, the quicker the better in order to receive treatment because Tamiflu or an antiviral is effective if it's caught quickly enough," Pamela Walker-Bauer, Clinton County health commissioner said.

No human cases of swine flu have been reported.

"At the end of the day, we have to ensure the end user is getting a healthy product, and we do that," Johnson said.

The CDC reports humans can be infected with H3N2. The infection is most commonly associated with prolonged exposure to pigs at agricultural fairs.