 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
April 19, 2005
Minnesotans of all ages have many opportunities to come in contact with farm animals, but these human-animal contacts in public settings have a number of risks involved!
There is increasing attention being paid to human illnesses that originate from bacteria and other pathogens that can be easily spread from animals to people.
Sometimes these exposures result in a very uncomfortable bout of stomach and intestinal illness. Many can result in a severe case of diarrhea that can last several days and may lead to other complications, such as dehydration. Other times, some of these bacteria can cause severe and life threatening complications and illness, especially among children, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems.
A recently published U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) report co-authored by Jeff Bender, veterinarian at the University of Minnesota, highlighted the connection between several pathogens and farm animals. These included cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry.
The CDC report highlights common disease-causing bacteria including E coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Cryptosporidium. The E coli O157:H7 organism was made famous during a fast-food chain outbreak that resulted from undercooked hamburger on the West Coast in the early 1990s.
"Over the last several years, a number of cases have been documented where people have been exposed to these bacteria through petting zoos, fairs, and other venues," Bender says. "The people had very close contact with the animals that often harbor these bacteria." In March, 2005, the state of Florida dealt with more than 35 cases of E. coli infection. These included several cases in children that resulted in potentially deadly complications, which can result in kidney failure or death.
The issue of diseases that are spread from farm animals to people is also a major potential health concern for people working in agricultural settings. Workers and children who are doing chores in animal operations such as dairy farms and poultry barns have almost constant potential exposure to animal manure, saliva and other sources of contamination.
A team of University of Minnesota specialists has been working with human health professionals, including nurses, doctors, and veterinarians to try to better educate farm families and farm workers about the importance of simple prevention strategies like hand-washing and facility sanitation.
The CDC report titled "A Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings" contains specific recommendations on disease control for people who operate petting zoos or fairs, or who are responsible for school field trips to farms for children and other groups. One of the lessons learned through follow-up investigations of incidents is that serving food in or near areas adjacent to these venues is a major risk factor for acquiring an animal-transmitted illness.
"Usually, we educate consumers and food preparers about food safety measures to protect against contaminating food during processing, preparation, poor storage or handling practices," says Joellen Feirtag, food scientist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. "But in the case of many of these 'petting zoo' illnesses, we've learned that the properly prepared food gets contaminated directly by dirty hands after kids or other visitors have petted or touched animals or nearby contaminated surfaces."
The University of Minnesota team that includes Bender, Shutske, Feirtag and many other educators and researchers are concerned about the potential impact on farm families, and those connected with petting zoos, county fairs, and other events. These diseases are preventable, and the outcomes are often quite severe for the families who are involved.
If you're a person responsible for these operations, you face significant economic and liability concerns. Several "specialty" attorneys are now focusing their attention on lawsuits where people have been infected after visiting a farm or an event where animals are present.
To help control these exposures, the CDC report recommends that there be major efforts to educate event operators and staff as well as event exhibitors and visitors on techniques for prevention. Probably the most crucial recommendation discussed in the report in great detail is handwashing.
"If we could simply get everyone to understand the importance of handwashing, we could dramatically reduce the incidence of these and many other food and animal-related illnesses," Feirtag says.
"Anyone operating a fair exhibit, petting zoo, agricultural tourism venture, or any other facility where animals and people are together MUST provide a place where people can wash their hands with soap and water," Bender says. "Clean, disposable towels must also be available."
The full report can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5404.pdf
(John Shutske is an agricultural health specialist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service)
NOTE: News releases were current as of the date of issue. If you have a question on older releases, use the news release search (upper left-hand column of the News main page) or the main Extension search (upper right of this page) to locate more recent information.
