How can an influenza virus spread from pigs to people?
Different strains of influenza are commonly circulating in our environment, including strains that can cause illness in humans, birds and pigs. Sometimes, humans and animals can pass strains of flu back and forth to one another through direct close contact – such as in pig production barns and livestock exhibits at fairs. For people in close contact with pigs, the recommendations to avoid infection are the same as for regular seasonal influenza – frequent handwashing, getting an annual flu shot, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when ill. When a swine influenza virus does affect a human, there is also a risk that the animal influenza can mutate and then spread directly between humans.
