Fair officials admit they knew they had sick hogs at the Butler County Fair, but not to the extent found following results from a researcher.

Before 300-plus hogs from the Butler County Fair were loaded onto a truck heading for slaughter last month, 34 were randomly tested for flu by a researcher. Days later, people became sickened by a new strain of swine flu and preliminary test results released this week indicate 31 of the hogs tested had the same form of influenza, the Hamilton JournalNews/Middletown Journal has learned.

State veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey said samples from 31 infected hog tested positive for influenza A and are being further tested a the National Veterinarian Services Laboratories in Iowa to determine if it is the same H2N3 flu strain or swine flu that has made 30 people in Ohio sick - 16 of those in Butler County.

Fifteen of the cases - Clark 2; Gallia, 4; Greene, 4; Hamilton, 3 and 2 additional in Butler - were confiremd on Wednesday by the Ohio Department of Health.

“We are lucky to have the samples,” Forshey said. The researcher is working on a doctorate studying flu in swine and one of the fairs chosen for sampling was Butler County.

State, local and federal officials are monitoring the H2N3 virus cases from county and state fairs and have stepped up information flowing to the public about prevention.

In Greene County, all three patients were children, ranging in age from a newborn to a teenager “about 14,” said Health Commissioner Mark McDonnell.

None required hospitalization, and all had fairly mild symptoms, he said, adding “as far as we can tell,” all were exposed to swine exhibited at the Greene County Fair last week.

Health officials are looking for additional cases in the community, McDonnell said.

Forshey and fair officials said influenza in swine is common and is treated then quickly clears up. Pigs can pass flu to people who are in direct contact and vise versa

“Perhaps more should have been done at the Butler County Fair when ailing hogs were first found, but we all make mistakes. The bottom line is we didn’t,” Forshey said.

It’s not known how many of the more than 100 hogs shown at the fair had the virus.

Butler County Fair Director Dan Martin and Doug Turner, fair board member overseeing the swine show, said it was an unusual year for sick animals.

“Yes, we had sick pigs, sick rabbits and sick chickens,” Martin said. “That happens every year. It was an unusual year, including the dry hot weather putting animals under more stress.”

Turner, a hog farmer in Seven Mile, said while farmers and fair officials often deal with sick pigs, “this year was an unusual circumstance.”

He said he talked with six exhibitors with sick pigs, but the animals recovered within 24 to 48 hours.

Turner said nobody gave him a heads up that cases had been reported earlier in the month in Indiana and it was not until the hogs were being shipped to slaughter that he learned that any people were feeling ill.

He said some pigs that he thought looked sick did return home and were later taken to the Ohio State Fair. Martin said it was his belief the animals would be treated before making a trip to Columbus.

“It upsets me that Butler County has gotten this black eye,” Turner said. “All the other fairs are going to learn from this.”

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is actively working with industry partners to assist with public education efforts and to increase the number of hand sanitation stations available at county fairs.

“There has been a tremendous increase in surveillance across the state,” said Dr. Ted Wymyslo, director of the Ohio Department of Health in a statement Wednesday. “We are not surprised by this increase in confirmed cases. We are also aware the flu viruses are not uncommon in swine. Even as we identify additional illnesses, this strain appears to remain mild and does not seem to be any more severe than what we see during most flu seasons.”

ODA is contacting each upcoming fair veterinarian instructing them to post signs for both the exhibitors and for the visiting public, to closely monitor swine health and to take temperatures of any ill swine and notify ODA immediately of the results. ODA will continue to swab and test animals as needed throughout the fair season.

The following precautions should be taken by those attending fairs: wash hands frequently with soap and running water before and after exposure to animals, never eat, drink our put things in our mouth in animal areas and don’t take food or drink into animal areas, avoid close contact with animals that look ill and avoid contact with swine if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.