Between July and October states across the country hold their annual state fairs.
The events are known for things like Ferris wheels and corn dogs, sculptures made entirely from butter and the biggest pig in the state. But state fairs can also be places where it鈥檚 easier to spread disease 鈥撯�� bringing humans and animals from farms across the state into close contact.
That鈥檚 of particular concern this year, as H5N1 or bird flu infections in 13 U.S. states for the first time ever. The virus has across Michigan, Texas, and Colorado.
But that鈥檚 not keeping many fairgoers from lining up in front of the cattle nosing their way out of their barn fences.
Mel Ventimiglia stood by several cows with his grandkids inside a barn at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. He said bird flu isn鈥檛 even on his radar.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 heard anybody mention it except for you,鈥� he told Side Effects. 鈥淗opefully, I forget about it pretty quickly.鈥�
At another nearby cattle barn, farmer Randy Mason says he follows basic precautions to keep his cattle from getting sick while at the fair, but he鈥檚 not particularly worried.
鈥淎 lot of that in my opinion gets overblown,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey get one or two cases and then it becomes 鈥撯�� like everything the government does 鈥撯�� it becomes overblown and out of proportion.鈥�
But across the country, bird flu infections have been confirmed , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That鈥檚 led officials at some state fairs to enact stricter rules to keep the virus from spreading.
In Minnesota, which has detected cases of bird flu within its dairy cattle, the state is before coming to the state fair.
That鈥檚 not the case in many other states, however, including Indiana, where there hasn鈥檛 been confirmed cases of bird flu.
鈥淪ince we've not had a diagnosis, we've not put those additional measures,鈥� said Bret Marsh, Indiana state veterinarian.
He said the state has told farmers to keep an eye out for signs of bird flu in their animals. They have also communicated to farmers the risks of spreading illness when coming to the fair and advised that animals are quarantined for 30 days after being shown 鈥撯�� but without a positive test, Marsh said, the state doesn鈥檛 need to put tighter restrictions in place.
Why are state fairs a concern?
But scientists widely agree that there is not enough testing going on to fully understand which states have cows infected with bird flu.
, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said states like Indiana don鈥檛 have any positive bird flu cases in cattle because they aren鈥檛 looking for them.
鈥淭he assumption should be, this virus is in the state of Indiana, we just haven't found it yet,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat's what they should be messaging, not 鈥極ur cows are free.鈥� That's foolish to believe.鈥�
That makes sites like state fairs 鈥撯�� where humans will be coming into contact with different animals 鈥撯�� especially concerning. Scientists worry that the bird flu could mutate to become a human virus if given the opportunity.
Currently, the virus seems to only have infected humans coming in direct contact with the udders and equipment used on infected cows, and have resulted in cases of conjunctivitis or pink eye in humans. The broader concern is that which would spread more easily from person to person.
And fairs have a history of being places where that spillover 鈥撯�� from animals to humans 鈥撯�� happen.
In 2012 a major swine flu outbreak led to over 300 infections in the U.S., with the majority of those associated . And last year, the CDC reported that two people caught swine flu .
Each time an influenza virus jumps into a new host it鈥檚 given an opportunity to evolve, potentially becoming one that could easily spread through humans.
Experts worry that the risk of H5N1 becoming a human virus could be substantially heightened if the virus makes it to pigs in particular because for viruses from different species. This means that the different viruses can exchange genetic material and learn from one another, potentially mutating and becoming more adept at infecting humans.
鈥淥ne of the things that people bring up so much about Covid-19 are the animal markets in China, where you have multiple different animals and different species interacting with each other,鈥� Adalja said. 鈥淪imilar things happen at state fairs in the United States. That's not really any different.鈥�
, professor of veterinary preventive medicine at the Ohio State University, agrees that the co-mingling of animals and people at state fairs poses a risk.
鈥淲e've thought about new pandemic viruses arising from Southeast Asian live animal markets. And we think, 鈥極h, we would never do that in the U.S.鈥� Well, fairs kind of mimic that,鈥� he said.
The risk to humans is still low
Still, experts like Bowman say that isn鈥檛 a reason to miss out on the state fair altogether.
鈥淚'm still going to the fair, and my family is still going to the fair. I had a milkshake when I was there,鈥� Bowman said.
He added that at-risk populations, such as the immunocompromised, should consider avoiding the cattle barn this year.
鈥淵ou know, exercise caution and really kind of think about which contacts [you] need to have,鈥� Bowman said. 鈥淐an I enjoy the animal exhibits, maybe from a little further distance, and not get right in the middle of it?鈥�
The CDC for state fairs to reduce the spread of bird flu, including a prohibition on dumping milk on the ground, because raw milk from infected cattle is likely to carry live virus. The guidance also advises keeping cows from different herds apart, and encourages visitors to wash their hands before leaving a barn.
Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Agriculture instituted a rule requiring cows test negative for the virus
Still, the risk to humans from the bird flu virus remains low, according to the CDC鈥檚 assessment.
Side Effects Public Media is a health reporting collaboration based at WFYI in Indianapolis. We partner with NPR stations across the Midwest and surrounding areas 鈥� including KBIA and KCUR in Missouri, Iowa Public Radio, Ideastream in Ohio and WFPL in Kentucky.
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