E. coli Attorney Calls for Increased Precautions at Fairs
August 30 2002
William Marler, of the Seattle law firm Marler Clark, calls on County and State fairs that have petting zoos to increase their vigilance this season.
SEATTLE, WA—A recent and ongoing outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 at the Lane County Fair in Oregon has sickened over 50 people, mostly children. An investigation is ongoing, but the likely source of infection is a petting zoo.
In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced several practical solutions to combat the growing concern of humans coming into physical contact with farm animals that shed the pathogenic bacteria E. coli O157:H7. William Marler, an attorney who has represented hundreds of victims of E. coli infections, said, “It is unclear to me at this point whether the Lane County fair used all the suggested procedures the CDC recommended.
“In any case, given the fact that in the last several years, E. coli outbreaks at fairs are such a common occurrence, why not test animals to see if they are carriers before they are allowed to attend the fair? A simple stool test costs only tens of dollars, and could save millions of dollars in medical expenses. The time has come for fairs to clean up their act and make these exhibits safe for children.”
Procedures recommended by the CDC were:
- Persons providing public access to farm animals should inform visitors about the risk for transmission of enteric pathogens from farm animals to humans, and strategies for prevention of such transmission. This should include public information and training of facility staff. Visitors should be made aware that certain farm animals pose greater risk for transmitting enteric infections to humans than others. Such animals include calves and other young ruminant animals, young poultry, and ill animals.
- Venues should be designed to minimize risk. Farm animal contact is not appropriate at food service establishments and infant care settings, and special care should be taken with school-aged children. At venues where farm animal contact is desired, layout should provide a separate area where humans and animals interact and an area where animals are not allowed. Animal petting should occur only in the interaction area to facilitate close supervision and coaching of visitors. Clear separation methods such as double barriers should be present to prevent contact with animals and their environment other than in the interaction area.
- Hand washing facilities should be adequate. Hand washing stations should be available to both the animal-free area and the interaction area. Running water, soap, and disposable towels should be available so that visitors can wash their hands immediately after contact with the animals. Hand washing facilities should be accessible, sufficient for the maximum anticipated attendance, and configured for use by children and adults. Children aged <5 years should wash their hands with adult supervision. Staff training and posted signs should emphasize the need to wash hands after touching animals or their environment, before eating, and on leaving the interaction area. Communal basins do not constitute adequate hand washing facilities.
- Persons at high risk for serious infections should observe heightened precaution. Farm animals should be handled by everyone as if the animals are colonized with human enteric pathogens. However, children aged <5 years, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised persons (e.g., those with HIV/AIDS) are at higher risk for serious infections. Such persons should weigh the risks for contact with farm animals. If allowed to have contact, children aged <5 years should be supervised closely by adults, with precautions strictly enforced.