JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
We are smack-dab in the middle of state fair season, and this year, health experts are worried that bird flu could spread. From the Indiana State Fair, here's Side Effects Public Media's Ben Thorp.
BEN THORP, BYLINE: State fairs are known for things like Ferris wheels, corn dogs, sculptures made entirely from butter and the biggest pig in the state.
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THORP: State fairs also bring humans and animals from farms across the state into close contact, where it's easier to spread disease. That's a particular concern this year. Bird flu infections have been confirmed in dairy cows in 13 states. The virus has even given some dairy workers mild infections.
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THORP: But not everyone seems to know about that. Mel Ventimiglia stands in front of several cows with his grandkids inside of the cattle barn at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. He says bird flu isn't even on his radar.
MEL VENTIMIGLIA: I haven't heard it - anybody mention it except for you.
THORP: Yeah.
VENTIMIGLIA: And hopefully I'll forget it pretty quickly.
THORP: (Laughter).
Cattle farmer Randy Mason says he follows basic precautions to keep his cattle from getting sick while at the fair, but he's not particularly worried.
RANDY MASON: A lot of that, I - in my opinion, gets overblown to some extent. They get one or two cases, and then it becomes - like everything the government does, it becomes overblown and out of proportion.
THORP: But scientists worry the virus could mutate from being a cow virus to being a human virus. At some state fairs, officials have enacted stricter rules this year to keep the virus from spreading. In Minnesota, which has detected cases of bird flu within its dairy cattle, the state requires all cows to have a negative bird flu test before they come to the state fair. That's not the case in other states, including Indiana. Here's Bret Marsh. He's the Indiana state veterinarian.
BRET MARSH: Since we've not had a diagnosis, we've not put those additional measures in. States like Minnesota have had the diagnosis in dairy herds in their state, so they've taken additional measures.
THORP: The problem is, though, scientists widely agree there is not enough testing going on to fully understand which states have cows infected with bird flu.
AMESH ADALJA: The assumption should be this virus is in the state of Indiana. We just haven't found it yet.
THORP: That's Amesh Adalja, he's a senior scholar for the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. He says states like Indiana don't have any positive cases because they aren't looking for them.
ADALJA: That's what they should be messaging - not our cows are free. That's foolish to believe.
THORP: Despite these concerns, some experts say that isn't a reason to miss out on the state fair. Here's Andrew Bowman.
ANDREW BOWMAN: I'm still going to the fair. Family's still going to the fair. Shoot, I had a milkshake when I was there.
THORP: Bowman is a professor of veterinary preventative medicine at The Ohio State University. He says at-risk populations, such as the immunocompromised, should consider avoiding the cattle barn this year.
BOWMAN: You know, exercise caution and really kind of think about which contacts they need to have. And can I enjoy the animal exhibits maybe from a little further distance and not get right in the middle of it?
THORP: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued advice for state fairs to minimize the risks of bird flu spreading. For instance, farmers shouldn't dump raw milk on the ground, and cows from different herds should be kept apart. But, they say, the risk to humans from the bird flu virus remains low.
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THORP: So wash your hands after visiting the cattle barn, but don't let that stop you from riding the Ferris wheel or eating a deep-fried Oreo - or a butter stick if you're into that. For NPR News, I'm Ben Thorp in Indianapolis.
SUMMERS: That story is from NPR's reporting partnership with Side Effects Public Media and KFF Health News.
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