Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky State Fairs Manage Swine Flu Outbreak
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
U.S. State Fair officials are reminding visitors to wash their hands when coming into contact with animals. The warnings come after a number of confirmed cases of humans contracting swine flu.
"It's still safe to go to the fair, but we don't touch the pigs this year," says Erica Pitchford of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Unfortunately, there has been some hysteria over the outbreaks, deterring people from attending the fair. It’s important to recognize that the preventative measures are just common sense – washing your hands and not consuming food or drink in livestock pavilions or barns. Target groups who are more susceptible to contracting the flu include, children, people who are 65 and older, pregnant, asthmatics and diabetics should avoid connect with pigs all together.
Visiting animals remains "very popular," says Andy Klotz, spokesman for the Indiana State Fair. "This is their one chance, for many people, to get up close with barnyard animals."
There have been 129 cases reported in Indiana, 31 cases reported in Ohio and there have been no confirmed cases in Kentucky as officials there are taking precautionary measures as all the animals are being checked daily for swine flu symptoms – coughing, sneezing and abnormal breathing. The flu hasn’t caused any fatalities and isn’t very contagious between people.
"This is not a pandemic situation," said Dr. Joseph Bresee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.