PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Arizona State Fair is back this Friday, and the Arizona Department of Health Services wants you to be careful of bird flu.
Bird flu cases have been popping up all across the country, including in Arizona, with a little over 60 confirmed cases in the state.
The department reported the cases are primarily being found in dairy cows and poultry, which are animals that can be found at the Arizona State Fair.
Medical Director of Infectious Diseases Joel Terriquez said the department has been closely monitoring cases in the state and said the number of cases it’s seeing right now is not a threat to fairgoers.
“The CDC has mentioned that the overall risk of transmission for humans has been low,” Terriquez said. “There has been no unusual trends or peaks in emergency department visits associated with influenza-like illness. The other way for us to monitor this is by looking at the wastewater detection of viruses, which has not been unusual or unusually high.”
As it continues monitoring cases, the department has been in close communications with the Arizona State Fair and the farmers who are bringing their animals to the fairgrounds. All the animals go through a series of health checks to make sure they are fit to be at the state fair, but Terriquez said it’s always good to take precaution to keep you and your family safe.
“We want to make sure that the appropriate protections and measures are taken, making sure, again, that you do not get close enough to those animals,” he said. “Animals are beautiful. You can definitely see them from the distance.”
The Arizona Department of Health Services provided the following safety tips:
Look at the animals from a distanceDon’t touch the animalsIf you touch any animals, wash your hands right afterDon’t drink raw milk
Terriquez also said it’s good to get your flu shots before checking out the animals.
“We always encourage vaccination for influenza, even though the influenza vaccine, it will not protect you against H5N1, but it will definitely provide that protection against the other viruses to avoid co-infection,” he said.
Again, the AZDHS is emphasizing there is no concern about bird flu at the Arizona State Fair this year. There have been zero human cases of bird flu in Arizona so far, and the department wants to keep it that way by making you aware.
The State Fair starts Friday, Sept. 20, and ends Sunday, Oct. 27.
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Publish date : 2024-09-18 09:22:00
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