State fairs during bird flu outbreaks: Why health experts advise caution

Between July and October, states across the country hold their annual state fairs.

These events are known for their Ferris wheels, corn dogs, sculptures made entirely of butter, and the state's largest pig, but state fairs are also places where disease can spread easily because of the close contact between people and animals from farms across the state.

This year, there is particular concern about infection with H5N1 and avian influenza. Confirmed in dairy cows The first cases of the virus have been confirmed in 13 states in the United States. Four dairy farmers also infected It spans Michigan, Texas and Colorado.

But that doesn't stop many spectators from lining up to see the cows peeking out from under the barn fence.

Mel Ventimiglia, standing with his grandsons among some cows in a barn at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, said he wasn't worried about bird flu.

“Nobody's ever mentioned it to anyone but you,” he told Side Effects magazine. “Hopefully it'll be forgotten soon.”

At another nearby barn, farmer Randy Mason said he's taking basic precautions to keep his cows from getting sick during the fair, but he's not particularly worried.

“A lot of it has been exaggerated in my opinion,” he said. “Once one or two incidents happen, like everything the government does, it gets blown out of proportion.”

However, bird flu infections have been confirmed across the country. A flock of about 200According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That has led fair officials in some states to enact stricter rules to prevent the spread of the virus.

In Minnesota, cases of avian flu have been found in dairy cows, and the state Require all cattle to test negative for avian influenza before coming to the state fair.

But that's not the case in many other states, including Indiana, which has no confirmed cases of avian flu.

“Because a diagnosis has not been made yet, we are not taking any additional steps like that,” Indiana veterinarian Brett Marsh said.

The state has told farmers to watch their livestock for signs of avian flu, Marsh said. They've also told farmers that coming to the fair puts them at risk of spreading the disease and have recommended that they quarantine their animals for 30 days after showing. But unless there are positive tests, Marsh said, the state won't have to enforce stricter regulations.

Why are state fairs a concern?

But scientists widely agree that there aren't enough tests to get a full picture of which states have avian flu in cattle.

Amesh AdaljaA senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, he said states like Indiana don't have any positive cases of avian flu in cows because they aren't looking for them.

“We should assume that this virus is in Indiana and we just haven't found it yet,” he said. “That's the message they should be getting across, not 'Cows are free.' It's foolish to believe that.”

That makes places like the state fair, where humans come into contact with a variety of animals, particularly worrisome, as scientists worry that, given the opportunity, bird flu could mutate and become a human virus.

At this time, the virus appears to only infect humans who have direct contact with infected cow udders or equipment, causing cases of conjunctivitis and pink eye. The virus could mutate into a respiratory virus It will spread more easily from person to person.

And fairs have a history as places where spillover effects from animals to humans happen.

A major swine flu outbreak in 2012 infected more than 300 people in the United States, most of whom Exposure at agricultural fairsAnd last year, the CDC reported two people had swine flu. After visiting the pig exhibit.

Each time the influenza virus infects a new host, it is given an opportunity to evolve and potentially become a virus that can easily infect humans.

Experts are concerned that if H5N1 infects pigs, especially if they infect pigs, it could greatly increase the risk of H5N1 becoming a human virus. The perfect mixing vessel against viruses of different species. This means that different viruses can exchange genetic material, learn from each other, and mutate to become more adept at infecting humans.

“One of the things people talk about a lot with COVID is China's animal markets, where you have all these different animals and different species interacting with each other,” Adalja said. “The same thing is happening at state fairs in the U.S., it's not that different.”

Andrew BowmanJohn E. Kennedy, a professor of veterinary preventive medicine at Ohio State University, agreed that mixing animals and people at the state fair poses risks.

“We thought about a new pandemic virus emerging from a live animal market in Southeast Asia, and we thought, 'Oh, we'd never do that in the United States,' and the fair is kind of replicating that,” he said.

The risk to humans is still low

Still, experts like Bowman say that's no reason to miss the state fair altogether.

“I still go to the fair, my family still goes to the fair, we still had milkshakes when we went to the fair,” Bowman said.

He added that people at risk, such as those who are immunocompromised, should consider avoiding barns this year.

“Pay attention and see which contacts [you] “How can you enjoy the animal exhibits from a distance without being in the middle?” Bowman said.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Guidance issued in June The state fair is taking measures to curb the spread of avian flu, including banning dumping milk on the ground because raw milk from infected cows is likely to contain live virus, advising cows from different herds to be kept apart and urging visitors to wash their hands before leaving the barns.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture enacted rules requiring cattle to test negative for the virus. before crossing state lines.

Still, the CDC has assessed that the risk to humans from avian influenza viruses remains low.

Side Effects Public Media is a health reporting collective based at WFYI in Indianapolis. We partner with NPR stations across the Midwest and surrounding areas, including KBIA and KCUR in Missouri, Iowa Public Radio, Ideastream in Ohio, and WFPL in Kentucky.

Copyright 2024 Side Effects Public Media