Keep Kids Healthy at Petting Zoos
Summertime festivals mean tons of fun for kids, especially when they get to pet a furry farm animal or hold a baby chick in their hands. But you know what’s not-so-fun for kids? Getting sick.
While animals at petting zoos are cute, they pose a health risk for kids because the animals’ skin, fur and saliva could be contaminated with fecal matter. When a child touches the contaminated surface and then wipes their nose, rubs their eyes, or puts their fingers in their mouth (as children do!), they spread the bacteria into their bodies.
There are ways to prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases caught at a petting zoo. One is proper hand washing with soap and water. However, not all petting zoos have a sink on-site, let alone soap to wash the germs away.
So what can we do to prevent children from getting sick? It’s easy: Educate and show children the 4 Principles of Hand Awareness, which have been endorsed by the AMA and the AAFP:
1. Wash your hands before eating and when they are dirty.
2. Do not cough in your hands.
3. Do not sneeze in your hands.
4. Above all, do not put your finger in your eyes, nose or mouth.
The last one is important: Teach children to not put their fingers or hands into their eyes, nose, and mouth. The eyes, nose, and mouth are the only portals of entry for bacteria that cause respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases – the exact ones posing a health risk at petting zoos.
To learn more about staying healthy this summer, visit the Henry the Hand Foundation Web site at www.henrythehand.com.
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(Image source: http://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/tags/petting-zoos/)
