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Ohio urges good hygiene if you're attending a county fair

Swine flu found in at least 2 hogs in SW Ohio
Ohio urges good hygiene if you're attending a county fair
Posted at 11:09 AM, Jul 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-15 14:44:49-04

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Two state agencies are urging people attending Ohio county fairs this summer to practice good hygiene when visiting livestock exhibits.

The Ohio Departments of Agriculture and Health issued the advisory after reports that nearly 300 hogs at the Clinton County Fair in southwest Ohio would have to be destroyed. At least two hogs tested positive for swine flu, which can be transmitted to humans by direct contact with pigs.

The agencies say visitors should wash their hands after petting or touching any animal and shouldn’t eat, drink or put anything in their mouths while visiting livestock exhibits.

Parents and caregivers should carry young children and leave strollers outside exhibits.

The agencies also advise that older people, pregnant women, small children and people with weakened immune systems should avoid livestock exhibits.