--- title: State officials urge visitors to practice good hygiene during fair season date: 2005-07-25T09:32:22-07:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/state-officials-urge-visitors-to-practice-good-hygiene-during-fair-season" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Outbreaks](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/outbreaks) / # State officials urge visitors to practice good hygiene during fair season ![](http://www.ecoliblog.com/july-32.jpg)Nearly 30 state, county and community fairs are scheduled before the end of September all around the country. As much as it is a great opportunity for kids to see a sheep sheared, a cow milked, a chick hatched and – best of all – to hug or pet a cuddly baby calf or a newborn goat, state officials are reminding families to be cautious, especially around the animals. State officials don’t want an outbreak of a potentially deadly strain of E. coli bacteria like the one that infected 26 people, most of them children, at [fairs in Florida](http://fair-safety.com/) over the past winter. This month, about 70 fair managers from across the state attended a two-day workshop on preventing food- and animal-borne illness. Fairgoers will see more hand-washing stations this year than in the past, along with signs reminding them to do so. 4-H and Future Farmers of America volunteer groups have also joined in, to encourage visitors leaving animal barns to wash their hands. In addition, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation this month that requires stricter sanitation requirements for petting zoos, and at the Saratoga County Fair in New York managers placed hand sanitizer on poles scattered about the grounds. > *“Go to the fair and enjoy it,” said John R. Brooks, deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture and a veterinarian. “Interact with animals, but use good hygiene practices, commonsense things like washing your hands after petting the animals.”* ### Other E. coli Lawsuits [Raw Farms linked to another Raw Milk Cheese E.coli Outbreak - 9 People sickened - Company refuses to recall product](https://marlerclark.com/raw-farms-linked-to-another-raw-milk-cheese-e-coli-outbreak-7-people-sickened) [10 with E. coli linked to Cheese](https://marlerclark.com/3-with-e-coli-linked-to-cheese) [Sycamore Pool in Chico California Contaminated with E.coli - Two teens in ICU](https://marlerclark.com/sycamore-pool-in-chico-california-contaminated-with-e-coli-two-teens-in-icu) [Deadly Nationwide E.coli Outbreak Linked to Grimmway Farms Organic Baby and Whole Carrots sickens 48](https://marlerclark.com/nationwide-e-coli-outbreak-linked-to-grimmway-farms-organic-baby-and-whole-carrots) [E. coli Outbreak tied to Red Cow and Hen House 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [E. coli Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-food-poisoning) What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so... ###### [E. coli O157:H7](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-o157h7) E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in... ###### [Non-O157 STEC](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/non-o157-stec) Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. 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