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Going to a fair soon? Heed the advisory

Fairs are part of the lives of so many of us during the late summer season. The sprawling Ohio State Fair will open next Wednesday. Our own Columbiana County Fair is July 31-Aug. 6. And, of course, the historic Canfield Fair occupies the Labor Day weekend. There are others coming up across the state.

Make sure to heed some advice. Two state agencies are urging people attending Ohio fairs to practice good hygiene when visiting livestock exhibits. Sounds simple enough.

As reported by the Associated Press, the Ohio Departments of Agriculture and Health recently issued an advisory after reports that nearly 300 hogs at the Clinton County Fair in southwest Ohio had to be destroyed. At least two hogs tested positive for swine flu, which can be transmitted to humans by direct contact with pigs.

Swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, is a strain of an influenza virus that causes symptoms similar to the regular flu. Pigs could get swine flu when contaminated items are moving between infected and uninfected pigs. The illness carried by livestock can be transmitted between people and animals.

The state agencies stress common sense approaches for anyone attending a fair, particularly those visiting animal exhibits.

Wash hands after petting or touching any animal. Don’t eat, drink or put anything in your mouth or a child’s mouth while visiting livestock exhibits. A suggestion: carry some of that hand sanitizer with you. Use it liberally. According to reports, the Ohio Department of Health is actively working with fair boards to increase access to hand sanitizers and hand-washing stations. Of course, health professionals always stress that frequent hand washing can lower your risk of getting sick from influenza, salmonella, e. Coli and other illnesses like swine flu.

Parents and caregivers should carry young children and leave strollers outside exhibits. Think about it: being closer to the ground and — if you will allow, at pig level — a child in a stroller is certainly much closer to many germs than adults. Also leave those germ traps like sippy cups, baby bottles and pacifiers and the like away from any animal barns.

A no-brainer: don’t come in close contact with an animal that appears sick and if you yourself are experiencing flu symptoms, avoid contact with swine. Don’t be pigheaded: Make a doctor’s appointment if you aren’t feeling well.

This isn’t message trying to dissuade anyone from attending an upcoming fair. Far from it — go an enjoy the fairs and support all of the folks who work hard to put them together. Fairs are part of what makes our area special. But use common sense. Bringing home a stuffed animal and maybe some heartburn after eating all of that greasy yet scrumptious fair food is one thing. But don’t take a chance of bringing an illness home from the fair.

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