Avian flu fears spark caution at upcoming Virginia county fairs

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — With county fair season approaching in Virginia, extra precautions are being urged to prevent the spread of avian flu.

The disease is deadly for poultry and has caused the loss of billions of dollars for poultry farmers around the country. Birds spread the disease, and now scientists have discovered that cattle can spread the disease, too, though symptoms in cattle are less severe and do not lead to death.

With that in mind, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wants county fairs to implement USDA guidelines for animals shown at fairs this summer.

Here are a few of those guidelines for farmers and exhibitors:

• Do not bring obviously sick animals to exhibit at fairs
• Dispose of milk produced at fairs; do not feed it to other animals
• Clean and disinfect all equipment before bringing it to a fair
• Do not share tools

Here are some of the guidelines for fairs:

• Document where all animals come from
• Ensure handwashing and gear cleaning stations are readily available
• Limit co-mingling of animals
• Establish an official fair veterinarian to monitor animals

So far, no cases of avian flu have been reported in Virginia cattle herds.

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