– OPINION –
2004: There's nothing more American than a local fair. Countless millions visit them every year to ride, enjoy delicious treats, get up close and personal, and sometimes even interact with the farm animals. But fairgoers are learning, often through devastating diseases rather than education, that the irresistible petting zoos and livestock shows that attract more children than anything else often harbor the deadly bacteria E. coli O157:H7. For the sake of children, we must pay attention to this undeniable health problem.
Most people associate E. coli O157:H7 only with undercooked hamburgers from fast food restaurants. However, as a lawyer who has represented thousands of E. coli poisoning victims, I have learned that the problem goes beyond that. Infection can occur in many ways, including visiting a petting zoo or the barn at the county fair, and our children are the most vulnerable.
Any place where people come into contact with farm animals should be considered a high-risk area for exposure to E. coli and other poisons. The track record speaks for itself. Since 1995, fifteen outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported at fairs and petting zoos in the United States (see Table 1). www.fair-safety.com). Hundreds got sick. Many experience relief from severe diarrhea and cramps; but some, mostly children, suffer permanent kidney damage due to a complication of E. coli infection called hemolytic uremic syndrome (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome).HUS).
Some even died.
In 2003, 24 people became ill with E. coli O157:H7 infection after visiting County Fair in Fort Bend, Texas. The illness was not related to food. Instead, investigators determined that all of the sick people had attended animal exhibits at the fair. Further investigation revealed that the rodeo and animal show areas were infested with E. coli O157:H7.
In 2002, the largest E. coli outbreak in Oregon history occurred. At least 82 people fell ill after attending the Lane County Fair in Eugene, Oregon.. Most of them were small children, and 22 people were hospitalized. Of those hospitalized, more than half experienced kidney failure. Oregon Health Services ultimately discovered the infection occurred in a goat and sheep showroom, and investigators believe the bacteria may have been transmitted through the ventilation system.
In 1998 At least 781 people fell ill after attending the Washington County Fair near Albany, New York.. Of these, 71 were hospitalized and two ultimately died from kidney failure. Cause: Contaminated water on a neighboring farm.
The list goes on—Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio—every outbreak starts in livestock and other farm animals. In 2001, observing a dangerous trend, the CDC warned owners of petting zoos and county fairs to clean up their act.
However, the warning went unheeded and lessons from previous outbreaks were not learned. Now this In North Carolina, more than 100 children fell ill at a recent livestock show..
These farm animals may be cute, but they can also carry a deadly pathogen. A recent USDA study of more than 20 county fairs found E. coli O157:H7 in 13.8 percent of beef cattle, 5.9 percent of dairy cattle and a slightly smaller percentage of sheep, swine and goats—almost the same percentage found in feedlot animals.
How many of us would take our children to visit and pet the animals in the feeding area?
Imagine how the government would react if the same number of people were injured by falling off a merry-go-round. Those wooden horses will stop and the lawyers will have a great day. But when people suffer from E. coli O157:H7 poisoning, outbreaks linked to petting zoos and fairs are ignored.
Why?
Ignoring the risks associated with human-animal contact and allowing disease outbreaks to continue makes good business for lawyers like me. But I'll happily give up this business if it means I don't have to see four-year-olds hooked up to kidney dialysis machines. So what should we do? Ban state and county fairs? Destroy petting zoos? Of course not. But fair organizers can take some fairly simple and inexpensive precautions.
First, they need to clean up their act. Disinfect walkways and railings and provide ample hand-washing stations for both employees and visitors.
Second, stop selling or allowing food in close proximity to areas where animals are displayed.
Third, increase building ventilation to reduce the risk of air pollution. Maintain humidity in livestock areas using an approved disinfectant.
Fourth, test all exhibit animals for E. coli O157:H7 or require exhibitors to prove that their animals are pathogen-free.
Finally, educate your visitors. Post signs explaining to parents the importance of hand washing before and after visiting animal shows and petting zoos. Post warnings at entrances highlighting the risks to young children and the possibility of airborne disease transmission.
These precautions may not eliminate all public health risks. But for such a minimal investment, organizers can reduce the risk of children being sent to the hospital or worse. And at the same time, they can avoid lawsuits and put lawyers like me out of business.
Here's a presentation I gave in 2005: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/2005-washington-fair-assoc/47792419
Twenty-one years and we are likely to see history repeat itself in Arizona.
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