Pigs are a tight knit community in New England and when one gets sick, it puts other swine in danger, so Big E officials are going to be keeping you from touching the hogs in you attend the region’s biggest fair.
Swine flu scares have people panicked, schools quarantining the infected and churches telling you to keep your sign of peace to a nod or a wave, but this might be the first time swine flu panic extends to swine in New England.
Donna Woolam, director of the agriculture and education at the fair, told The Republican of Springfield there has never been a case of swine flu in domestic hogs in the United States. But she says people can expose the animals to it, which could have widespread repercussions for the pork industry.
The fair, which is held in West Springfield, Mass., attracts up to 1 million people from several New England states, and it seems the risks are just too high.
In Massachusetts, there have been 1,400 confirmed cases of swine flu. In Connecticut, there have been 1985 confirmed cases, and nine deaths.
Visitors will be able to see the pigs, but from a safe distance.
"We're just not going to allow the public to be in the area where the hogs are penned," Woolam told the Republican. "They'll certainly be able to see the pigs without any obstructions."
Local
Woolam says the swine show at the fair draws about 50 animals.
The Big E, first held in 1917, runs from Sept. 18 to Oct. 4.
