Sick pigs = sick humans?

Evidently being around a sick swine can be dangerous to your health. It appears answers are not readily forthcoming to concerned parents.

www.wsbt.com...

I was a frequent attendee at these events when I was younger, but I have not been to any of these events in over ten years.

Whether or not the illnesses are related may never be established; however, a person cannot say they were not made aware of the possibility.

Any time you introduce animals from different farms...areas... regions together in very close proximity, it is cause for concern as sickness and disease can spread.

When I buy new livestock for my farm I always examine the animals closely before purchase. I also like to see where the animals came from and the conditions in which they lived... clean, stable, relatively well maintained, animal welfare...water, good feed...etc

Then after purchase, I always quarentine them to a holding pen away from the other animals to keep any potential sickness from the others until the newcomers are shown to be safe and acclimated.

As far as sickness transfering to people... the key is washing hands. I will say this again...Always wash your hands thoroughly after contact with animals.

Most problems with children and adults becoming sick can be attributed to this. A couple of years ago at the NC State Fair... we had a number of kids get sick and E. Coli poisoning. Come to findout, they had gone to the petting barn and then for a Hotdog without... washing their hands.

Also, I would have been interested in the temps at the fairgrounds and in the barn. My guess is that poor ventilation or air circulation mixed with dust and heat stress caused the majority of problems. Plus, as stated in the article, animals being moved around strange quarters and with strange animals adds a lot of stress... throw in the hot dry weather and you have a perfect set up for sick animals.

At the farm store I manage, we do "animal swaps" where farmers can buy/ sell/ trade all kinds of farm animals... chicks, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, pigs, goats, even a cow.... BUT we stop during the summer months until september due to the heat, the heat reflected off the pavement, and general stress of the animals and people in 90-100 degree heat... just not a good idea.

I would venture the same for the fair...

They also closed the swine barn down in Monroe County last night due to illness in the pigs. It appears though that they will be taking better precautions at the state fair.

H1N1 Concerns Prompt Extra Precaution