Fair Goers to Use Precautions -- 7.15.2013
COLUMBUS PUBLIC HEALTH and
FRANKLIN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
FOR MONDAY, July 15, 2013
Public Health Officials Advise Fair Goers to Use Precautions to Prevent Illness
Vulnerable Adults and Young Children Should Avoid Livestock Areas to Protect Health
Fair time is here and central Ohio boasts some of the best local fairs in the country. But while fairgoers enjoy everything the fairs have to offer, public health officials are advising everyone to protect themselves when visiting animal barns. Some illnesses, including H3N2v – or swine flu – are commonly carried by livestock and can be directly transmitted between animals and humans.
“Fairs are fun and they can be a unique agricultural learning experience. But with an H3N2v outbreak around the corner in Indiana, we are advising fairgoers to protect themselves and their families with some common sense precautions,” says Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long.
To stay healthy and safe at local fairs:
• Wash hands with soap and water before and after petting or touching an animal.
• Never eat, drink or put anything in your mouth in animal areas.
• Avoid face-to-face contact with animals.
• Leave sippy cups, pacifiers and strollers outside animal barns and carry small children.
“Additionally, older adults, pregnant women, young children and people with weakened immune systems from chronic health conditions or chemotherapy should avoid animal areas altogether to prevent illness,” Dr. Long adds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, H3N2v has infected 325 people in 13 states since 2011. Almost one-third of those known U.S. cases occurred in Ohio. There were four cases of swine flu in Franklin County last year.
“Fairs are a great tradition here in central Ohio,” says Franklin County Health Commissioner Susan Tilgner, MS, RD, LD, RS. “But it’s important to practice good hygiene while you are there so the entire family can have a positive and healthy experience.”
For more information, visit publichealth.columbus.gov or myfcph.org.
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