RT @BestThinking Erin Luhmann's Topic: Are Fairgrounds Taking Swine Flue Seriously? http://t.co/W6LRtMqF
This summer, I expanded my fair portfolio from ordering nearly anything “on a stick” at the Minnesota State Fair to attending a tractor pull event at a county fair in Virginia. After an hour of ear splitting distressed engines spouting plumes of black exhaust, I made an excursion to the animal barns for a bit of reprieve and fell into the communal sense of adoration that piglets, calves and goats evoke. This exhibit, however, left me more apprehensive than some of the rickety rides I could see flashing across the fair grounds.
As I exited the petting zoo, an attendant told me I was required to wash my hands if I had touched any of the animals. I could choose not to wash my hands if I had simply looked, she informed me, but I had to assume responsibility for taking that risk. Given the gatekeeper’s disclaimer, I wondered if there had been a recent fair-related health incident that I was unaware of. The hand washing stations near other animal pens reinforced this suspicion.
It turns out that there are good reasons for careful hygiene measures at fairgrounds—most prominent among them a new strain of swine flu called H3N2v. This strain is being transmitted at fairs across the United States. Reports of more than 160 cases this summer have health authorities and fair organizers monitoring the situation as they prepare for highly concentrated events like the Minnesota State Fair , which runs until Labor Day. Despite at least one widely reported expert objection , the swine barns are scheduled to remain open.
But the public health question remains: are fair pigs posing an unnecessary health risk this summer?
Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, insists that fair officials cancel the swine exhibits this year, for fear of unknown health repercussions. While this new strain of swine flu has not yet claimed any lives, like the H1N1 pandemic did back in 2009, Osterholm feels that the potential threat of another outbreak should be taken more seriously. He points out that research on the prevention and resiliency of this new strain is incomplete.
"The idea of telling people to wash their hands is at the very least misleading," he said in a report released by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
Reinforcing the relevancy of state and county fair policies in confronting the issue, a report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention states, “To date, almost all of the H3N2v cases in 2012 have been epidemiologically linked to agricultural fairs, either through exhibiting pigs or walking through a swine barn.”
However, the consensus remains in favor of swine barns this summer. As reported in the Star Tribune , the Minnesota Department of Health is working with State Fair workers to encourage health safety through added hand washing instructions and less direct contact with the pigs.
Following standard guidelines, the Public Health Agency of Canada advises that children, the elderly and pregnant women be especially cognizant of best hygiene practices when visiting the animal barns.
Beyond this, fairgoers should feel free to enjoy viewing the largest pig, the mother pig feeding her frenzied offspring and the prized 4H pigs. Regardless of the swine flu scare, when attending an event with large crowds, food carts and hands-on exhibits, frequent hand washing is a good habit to fall into.
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