Live Healthy Live Well

It’s Fair and Festival time! My grandchildren love to go see, touch, and feed the farm animals.  Farm animals are usually a part of the festivities with petting zoos, agricultural fairs, open farms, and shows. This activity can put your children and you at higher risk for a foodborne illness or other diseases from animals.  How do you and your family stay healthy and safe?

• Wash your hands. It is best to use warm water and soap but if you can’t find water and soap, use some hand wipes.
  • After touching animals.
  • After touching fences, buckets, or farm equipment.
  • After leaving the animal area.
  • After removing clothes and shoes, as these can have bacteria on them.
  • Before you eat or drink beverages after leaving the animal area.
  • After going to the bathroom.
  • Before preparing foods.
• Do not eat food or drink beverages in animal areas or where animals are.
• Cover any open wounds or cuts when visiting or working around farm animals.
• Avoid bites, scratches, and kicks from farm animals.
• Be sure to supervise children when they are around animals.
• Prevent hand-to-mouth activities, such as nail biting, finger sucking, and eating dirt.
• Help children wash hands well with soap after interaction with any farm animal.
• Do not let children 5 years of age or younger handle or touch chicks, ducklings, or live poultry without supervision.
• Do not allow toys, pacifiers, spill-proof cups, baby bottles, strollers, or similar items to be in animal areas.

Are farm animals really dangerous to your health?  For most people they are not a problem.  However, animals carry germs or may have intestinal disease.  The animals seem healthy but can harbor pathogens.  It is difficult to know if a surface, food, or water is contaminated and many pathogens can live for long periods of time.  You don’t need to touch an animal or get manure on your hands to be exposed.  “People who eat or drink in animal areas are almost five times more likely to get ill than people who don’t eat or drink there,” according to Jeff LeJeune, a veterinary researcher with Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center  (OARCD) in Wooster.

Children under the age of five, adults over the age of 65, pregnant women, and people with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems are most at risk.  Common harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, Cryptosporodium, and Salmonella are ones that can spread from animals to people.   Thus, washing your hands after being around, touching, or looking at animals is important. Be sure to wash using warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds and rinse thoroughly.

Enjoy the festivals and seeing animals!

Author: Pat Brinkman, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator, Ohio State University Extension

Reviewer: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Educator, Ohio State University Extension.

References:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  (2015).  Farm Animals:  Prevention  Available at https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/farm-animals.html

Espinoza, M. (2005). “Disease-causing Germs at Common at Fairs.”  Ohio State University.   A printed article with quotes from Dr. Jeff LeJeune

Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Division of Health. (2014). Disease Prevention for Fairs and Festivals.  Available at http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/Public_settings_toolkit/DiseasePreventionForFairsToolkit_Kansas.pdf