18 H3N2v Wisconsin Cases In Four Counties
Recombinomics.com
August 31, 2012
Confirmed Wisconsin cases of the variant H3N2 influenza virus infection, H3N2v, has risen to 14, according to state health officials. All cases occurred in individuals who were exposed to or in proximity to pigs at either the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis, or county fairs in Kenosha, Dodge and Manitowoc counties. The majority of cases are children, with an average age of 10-years-old. All affected individuals recovered or are currently recovering from their illnesses. One child was hospitalized briefly.
As of 3:30 p.m. on August 30, 2012, there are 15 cases in Wisconsin.
The above comments from the Wisconsin Department of Human Services (DHS) press release (in red) describe 14 confirmed H3N2v cases from four agricultural fairs in four counties. The confirmed cases were increased to 15 (in blue) on the DHS H3N2v web page, which is likely due to testing of the 4 suspect cases linked to the Manitowoc fair as described in the Manitowoc County press release (in addition to 3 confirmed cases). Media reports increased the number of confirmed cases in Manitowoc to four and the description of the three remaining suspect cases suggests they will soon be added the confirmed cases.
Thus, there are at least 18 (15 confirmed) H3N2v cases in at least four counties in Wisconsin. The CDC has released one set of sequences, A/Wisconsin/22/2012, from an August 13 collection, suggesting it was linked to the State Fair in Milwaukee County, which ended August 12. The sequence was closely related to the 33 sets from recent cases in Hawaii, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania signaling clonal expansion via sustained human transmission.
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