Attending fall fairs is a rite of passage – at least for
those of us who grew up in the country.
When I was showing horses, I literally went from fair to fair on
weekends competing.
Those of us with
horses that could “ignore” the unusual sights and sounds did well.
Those with skittish horses…..well……not so
much.
I was one of the lucky ones.
The Royal
Agricultural Winter Fair
was one of my favorite events and to this day I
still love spending a day (or two) walking around looking at the vendors, the
farmers who have brought their best animals to be judged and of course, the
horses! Especially the show jumpers!
The best part of being around animals is of course petting
them. Growing up on a farm, as far as
I’m concerned, any animal can be a pet; cows, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, you
name it. Give me enough time with them
and they’ll be “pets”. For those who grew
up in cities and did not have the opportunity to be around farm animals, fall
fairs are an amazing opportunity to interact with them. However, we need to ensure that everyone
understands the potential risk of interacting with them. They can carry pathogens that make us sick making
hand washing so vital.
As we’re winding down to the end of the fair season, it was
with great interest that I came across the CDC’s notification that they have
found 4
variant virus infections linked to pigs.
According to the study, the CDC has confirmed that 18 people (16 of
which were children) from Michigan and Ohio were found to have been infected
with a flu virus (Influenza A H3N2) which is associated with pigs. All 18 patients reported exposure in some
form to pigs at agricultural fairs.
There were no deaths associated with the cluster and there was no evidence
suggesting the virus transmitted from person to person. While they did not find proof that there was
person-to-person transmission what they did find is that some of the viruses
found were reassortant,
meaning both human and swine genetic material was found. The fact that there were genes of human
origin indicates that the virus could be in a position to become more likely to
spread from person to person.
All is not lost however, fall fairs are safe. We just need to be smart. If you’re planning on attending a fall fair,
remember that animals can carry pathogens that make us sick. The single most important thing we can do is wash
our hands after petting the animals and certainly before eating! We also need to avoid putting our hands on
our faces or in our mouths. My rule is
every time is see a hand sanitizer station, I use it!
I don’t have time to attend The Royal this year, but there
are still 3 days left – so if you’re in the Toronto, Ontario area and have
never been, I highly recommend it!
Bugging Off!
Nicole
