With the Meigs County Fair coming soon I thought I would post these valuble safety tips to use when around the fair animals and the fair in general. Don't forget to take your hand sanitizer and sunscreen with you when you visit the fair.Here are some tips from Dr.Will Sawyer of www.henrythehand.com.
Summertime festivals and fairs mean tons of fun for children, especially when they get to pet a furry farm animal or hold a baby chick in their hands. But you know what's not so fun for kids? Getting sick.
While animals at petting zoos are cute, they have posed a health risk for children (and adults) because the animals' skin, fur and saliva can be contaminated with fecal matter. E. coli and salmonella bacteria are two major health risks facing children at petting zoos.
There are ways to prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases caught at a petting zoo, including proper hand washing with soap and water. However, not all petting zoos have a sink on-site, let alone soap to wash the germs away.
What can we do to prevent our children from getting sick? It's easy: Educate and show children the 4 Principles of Hand Awareness, which have been endorsed by the AMA and the AAFP:
1. Wash your hands before eating and when they are dirty.
2. Do not cough in your hands.
3. Do not sneeze in your hands.
4. Above all, do not put your finger in your eyes, nose or mouth.
The last one is important: Teach children to not put their fingers or hands into their eyes, nose, and mouth. The eyes, nose, and mouth are the only portals of entry for bacteria that cause respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases - the exact ones posing a health risk at petting zoos.
To learn more about staying healthy this summer, visit the Henry the Hand Foundation Web site at www.henrythehand.com.
Thank you for helping to
Spread the word, not the germs!
Dr.Will Sawyer
dr.will@henrythehand.com
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