The Summit County Fair Board is taking precautions to avoid the swine flu that has caused problems at two other fairs around the state.
About 350 hogs at fairs in central and southwest Ohio were destroyed after the disease was discovered.
Summit County’s fair opens Tuesday.
Board Director Cathy Cunningham says staff is trained to keep animals and surrounding areas clean.
The barn is cleaned prior to any animals arriving. When the animals arrive, they are all vet-checked. If an animal is found sick, they are taken home immediately. If, once the animals are here and then they are found sick, that animal is quarantined and it’s given the proper medication through the vet we have on staff.
The animals at the fairs come from local 4-H programs. The animals are brought to the fair for competitions.
Two years ago, an outbreak of bird flu led fairs around the state to ban chickens.
Cunnigham says those in the 4-H program are also trained to take precautions, which include hand washing stations and banning food and drinks in the barns.