 Friday, August 16, 2024
Tips for staying healthy at the Kentucky State Fair
As hundreds of thousands of people head to the 120th Kentucky State Fair to enjoy the food, sights and sounds, the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) has boots on the ground reminding fairgoers and vendors of some important health safety tips.
“Not only are our food safety inspectors at the fair daily making sure fair foods are safe to eat, but we also have employees staffing a quiet place for families to care for children and distributing important health information,” said Connie Mendel, Louisville’s chief health strategist. “In addition to the work our team is doing onsite, we are also encouraging people to take precautions of their own.”
Wash your hands after petting animals
State fair season also brings an increase in interactions between people and livestock. According to the CDC, there are many types of germs that can spread between animals and people, but some of the most common illnesses people can get from petting livestock at fair exhibits are E. coli, cryptosporidium and salmonella.
“Children 5 years of age and younger, people with weakened immune systems as well as adults over 65 years of age are more likely to get sick from the germs animals can carry,” Mendel said. “Everyone should take precautions at the animal exhibits, like avoiding taking food, drinks, toys, pacifiers, cups or baby bottles into those areas. You should also wash your hands right away or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer after visiting animal exhibits.”
Food safety
For the Kentucky State Fair’s 11-day run, Public Health and Wellness’ Food Safety team will inspect around 300 food vendors several times, which means they will conduct more than 1,500 inspections before the fair ends.
To help prevent foodborne illness, inspectors verify food safety knowledge, check for good hygienic practices, make sure food is cooked and stored at the right temperatures and that cross-contamination is prevented.
Each year before the fair kicks off, vendors are required to obtain both local and state temporary food service permits and complete a food safety training class.
To learn more about our Food Safety Program, visit our webpage.
Support for families - Rock N Relax
For the 32nd year, LMPHW is teaming up with Baptist Health to sponsor the Rock N Relax area at the fair. Rock N Relax is a quiet, comfortable place where families can feed their babies, change diapers and regroup. It has rocking chairs, changing tables, and free wipes and diapers in various sizes. As families take a break in the room, they can also learn more about breastfeeding, child health, nutrition and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program.
The Rock N Relax area can be found in section C111 in the lobby area of the South Wing at the fairgrounds.
Protect yourself from the COVID-19 “summer surge”
According to data from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, COVID-19 cases are increasing both in the state and locally in Louisville Metro. Take these steps to avoid the COVID19 “Summer Surge”.
- Stay up to date with vaccines
- Stay home, if sick
- Wash your hands often with soap and water
- Use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available
- Cover coughs and sneezes
- Consider wearing a mask if you’re at high-risk for serious illness
Director of the CDC visits Louisville
to promote childhood vaccines
 Mayor Craig Greenberg, left, and Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness' Executive Director Dr. Inder Singal, right, greeted CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen at Newcomer Academy's pop-up immunization clinic.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the CDC, visited Louisville Metro last week to stress the importance of routine childhood vaccinations that protect against diseases like measles, polio, pertussis and chickenpox as the school year starts back up. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine healthcare, causing declines in vaccination rates across the country. Dr. Cohen has been stopping by other cities, like Detroit, Michigan, to encourage parents to get their kids vaccinated.
Last Thursday, Dr. Cohen started her day at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) to speak with the agency’s leadership, as well as visit the TB clinic and Harm Reduction Outreach Services. After lunch, she made her way to Newcomer Academy for a pop-up immunization clinic.
Close to 20,000 JCPS students are either not up to date on immunizations or not immunized at all. To address the issue, LMPHW, JCPS, Galen School of Nursing, Sullivan University College of Pharmacy, Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center and other community partners are teaming up to hold vaccine clinics at JCPS schools. Immunizations being administered include the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), hepatitis A and B, varicella and polio vaccines.
"What you see here is a vaccine clinic right in the school, so that kids are able to get those routine vaccines. It's their best defense against some of these serious illnesses, so I wanted to come here and see for myself the great work,” Dr. Cohen said in an interview with WDRB. They've really done a terrific job. I think it's a model for other school districts to follow.”
The goal is to meet children where they are and host a least one immunization clinic at all JCPS schools by the end of 2026.
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Fogging operations planned in several
neighborhoods to combat mosquitos
 The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) has found mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus in surveillance traps in three more ZIP codes: 40206, 40211 and 40202. To help prevent infection and reduce the mosquito population, mosquito fogging took place this week in the areas of Irish Hills, Iroquois and Nulu/Downtown. Positive mosquitoes were recently found in the neighborhoods of Portland, Downtown Louisville and Churchill Downs.
After mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus, fogging occurs within the next seven to 10 business days, weather permitting. Fogging occurs in the early morning or early evening hours. The Department of Public Health and Wellness uses an ultra-low volume fogging machine that disperses an insecticide that is very low in toxicity and odor. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Kentucky Department of Agriculture recognize the product as safe to use without posing unreasonable risks to human health.
Though West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes this year, so far, no human cases have been reported in Jefferson County.
To check if your area will be fogged visit the department’s website or call the mosquito hotline, 502-574-6641. To make a complaint about mosquitos in your neighborhood call Metro311 by dialing 311 or 502-574-5000.
You can learn more about how to prevent mosquito bites and breeding grounds on Mosquito Control Program webpage.
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