The Hidden Danger at Fairs and Petting Zoos

Summertime is quickly approaching, and with the warm weather comes the annual parade of fairs and petting zoos. A visit to a petting zoo or fair can be a valuable learning experience for a child, but who could think that the experience could end in severe illness or even death?

Recently 22 people, largely children, fell ill after visiting one of three fairs in Florida in the early months of 2005. One child developed kidney failure after contracting Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome as a result of E. Coli 0157:H7 infection.

The incidences of these types of infections are becoming more common. In 2004, 108 people fell ill after visiting petting zoos at the North Carolina State Fair. In 2002, 82 people-mostly children- became sick after visiting an Oregon county fair. Traces of contaminated feces remained in one of the livestock barns visited by fairgoers. The list continues: 84 people in Wisconsin and Ohio became ill during the summer of 2001 after contact with fair animals. In 2000, 16 Pennsylvania children were confirmed ill - and another 45 cases were suspected -after visiting a petting farm. One child became deathly ill and developed kidney failure; she required a life-saving kidney transplant. The Centers for Disease Control reports that E. Coli infections are responsible for 73,000 cases of illness and 61 deaths each year. Eight percent of those infected with E. Coli will develop Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

Why are children becoming sick in such great numbers? Children are prone to picking up germs on their hands or other objects and then placing those hands or objects in their mouths. In addition, the immune systems of toddlers and young children are still in the developmental stages and have not yet attained adult function. Thirdly, a child's small stature places them closer to the sources of many infections.

While fecal to oral transmission is the most common mode of infection, germs can be present on the fur of animals, on gates and enclosures, in dust in the air, and can be transmitted by animals licking children. Transmission has also occurred by fecal contamination of food sources.