According to the Faribault Daily News, an E. coli outbreak in Rice County, Minnesota has been traced back to the Rice County Fair. An email was apparently sent to the Rice County Agriculture Society board of Directors from the Minnesota Department of Health informing them that a case of E. coli had been reported. Between nine and twelve people are sick; several have been to the hospital.
The Rice County Fair was held between July 15 and July 20, 2014. The Department of Health believes that the pathogenic bacteria came from an animal in the barns or the petting zoo and is not related to food. Hand-washing stations are available outside the petting zoo and barns on the fairgrounds, but not everyone uses them. Operators at the Fair have been cooperating with investigators. Some of those infected were at other fairs around the state before this fair.
Last year there were two E. coli outbreaks linked to petting zoos and live animal exhibits. Then, six children contracted E. coli infections, and three of them developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that can cause kidney failure. HUS can also cause strokes and seizures and can lead to death.
And in 2012, a deadly E. coli outbreak sickened 106 people at the Cleveland County Fair in North Carolina. One child died as a result of the infection. Last year, operators of that Fair decided against having another petting zoo, which was linked to the outbreak. In 2011, an E. coli outbreak sickened 25 people at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, and a toddler in Wisconsin got sick at the 2011 Fond du Lac County Fair that same year.
It’s important that anyone who visits a barn or petting zoo wash their hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after touching animals, especially ruminant animals, which harbor the bacteria in their intestines.
The symptoms of an E. coli infection include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that is often watery and/or bloody, and vomiting. Very young children and the elderly are most likely to suffer serious complications from this infection. If you visited that fair and have been experiencing these symptoms, see your doctor immediately.
