The Florida Department of Agriculture joined the search Wednesday for what caused an outbreak of a potentially fatal illness in Central Florida. All visited petting zoos at either the Central Florida Fair in Orlando or the Strawberry Festival in Plant City in early March. Officials suspect they may have contracted the disease from touching animals
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Most consumers are used to pasteurized milk – the rapid heating and cooling kills most of the organisms, good and bad, and prevents disease-causing agents such as campylobacter, salmonella, E.coli and listeria from building up during the time the milk is handled, processed, packaged and shipped to stores. Colorado regulations currently require that milk must
Florida Cases Of HUS Increase Amidst Petting Zoo Concerns
The Florida Department of Health has released the latest numbers in regards to confirmed cases of hemolytic uremic syndrom (HUS).
Orange County tops the list with nine. Volusia has two, while Seminole, Collier and Pasco counties each have one confirmed case of HUS, including the death of a 12-year-old girl in Pasco County.
Lake County Fair Petting Zoo Canceled
The Lake County Fair, which runs April 7 to 16, will not be offering a petting zoo this year, in response to news of multiple cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) affecting children who had attended fairs around the state earlier this month.
There are currently 12 confirmed cases of HUS in Central Florida,
Infectious Diseases Still Major Public Health Threat, Fauci Says
Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, delivered the 20th Harry A. Feldman Lecture on March 24 at the Bloomberg School. His lecture was part of the 78th annual meeting of the American Epidemiology Society, held March 24 and 25.
During his presentation, Fauci showed a
Woman Certain Petting Zoo Caused Grandsons’ Illness
Ava Wheatley is thankful that her granddaughter is afraid of animals. That’s why she didn’t touch the animals at the petting zoo at the Central Florida Fair.
Her younger brothers weren’t as lucky – the two boys have picked up the potentially fatal strain of E. coli bacteria that has them both hospitalized in
Dire Warning About E. coli is Necessary
Mike Thomas of the Orlando Sentinel is demanding full disclosure at petting zoos and other exhibitions with live animals where children are allowed to touch the animals.
His child has been to the Green Meadows Petting Farm in Kissimmee twice before and had enjoyed it thoroughly. Green Meadows is a fully interactive petting zoo, with
Dr. Marlene Coleman on Petting Zoos & Fairs: Danger at Hand
Dr. Marlene M. Coleman, MD, is a Board Certified Pediatrician with an emphasis on adolescent medicine and a subspecialty in travel medicine, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Southern California Medical school, and an attending physician at the California Institute of Technology.
Cautionary reports from the Centers for Disease Control and
Analysis: Officials Probe Kidney Failures Related to Florida Fairs, Petting Zoos
The 14 (possibly 15) children suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)-related kidney failure in Florida are only a small part of the more than 100 children nationally who have been infected in recent years. Investigators said they were focusing on a strain of dangerous bacteria as the possible cause of the disease, and focusing on
HUS Hits Florida After Fairs, Health Department Still Investigating
Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigators are looking into cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) cropping up in states other than Florida, involving tourists who attended fairs there. The life-threatening condition has stricken more than a dozen children and adults who attended the Central Florida Fair in Orlando or the Florida