Pig gave New Jersey youngster swine flu

A New Jersey child has recovered from a case of swine flu contracted from a pig at a local farm.

While the virus is named for swine, it often spreads from one human to another, as was the case during the 2009 pandemic that swept the country.

"Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans," according to the CDC's website. "However, sporadic human infections with swine influenza viruses have occurred."

The New Jersey Department of Health told NJ.com that the patient was a child from Mercer County who fell ill on Dec. 26. The CDC reported the human infection of an influenza variant virus, H3N2v, in a weekly report issued Jan. 2.

"The patient was not hospitalized and has fully recovered from their illness," the report said. "The patient visited a farm near where swine are frequently housed but no direct contact with swine was reported in the week prior to illness onset. No ongoing human-to-human transmission has been identified."

The virus, influence A (H3N2) normally transmits among pigs but becomes a variant when it is contracted by a human, according to the CDC.

The New Jersey case was the only one reported to the CDC during the last week of December.

Symptoms are similar to what people with seasonal flu experience -- fever, lack of appetite, cough and lethary. Some patients also report runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vommitting and diarrhea, accoring to the CDC.

There is no evidence that swine flu can be transmitted through the consumption of pork, the CDC said.