Children and zoos: 4 safety precautions

The recent report on five children in Florida, who have suffered a condition that was most likely due to contact with animals infected with E. coli bacteria, has increased awareness of this serious problem.

According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention Center, this infection usually comes from eating undercooked meat, contaminated food or raw milk. The five children were exposed to this strain through the feces of infected animals.

The common symptoms of an E. coli infection usually consist of:

Diarrhea or bloody diarrhea

Abdominal cramps

Throwing up

Nausea

In severe cases, the symptoms may develop in haemolytic uremic syndrome with anemia and renal failure. Due to the seriousness of this incident, it raised concerns regarding the safety of the petting zoo. Fortunately, parents and their children do not need to avoid the petting zoo altogether. What you can do is practice safety precautions to avoid infecting your children. Here are some tips:

Wash your hands regularly: this is the most obvious and simplest precaution that you and your children should take. Wash your hands and your children's hands with warm water and antibacterial soap. This is very important, especially after your children touched the animals or the enclosures of the animals. When you wash your hands, pay close attention to the areas between your fingers and under your nails, then rinse thoroughly. If you can not find an area to wash your hands, you should bring an antibacterial hand sanitizer gel.

Keep your child's hands out of their mouth: Make sure your child does not put their hands inside their mouth. If you bring a very small child, you must be very careful. You should also warn your child not to bite his fingernails or suck his finger. Also, tell your child not to kiss the animals or bring their face close to the animal.

Keep food out: Do not let your kids run around the petting zoo while they eat their ice cream, crackers or drink their drink. Remember that these children are also feeding the animals; therefore, cross contamination could occur while they are eating.

Change clothes: keep in mind that your children's clothes can easily become contaminated when they are leaning on a railing, or when the cord is untied and crawling in the mud. To keep your children safe, you must bring a change of clothes after your adventure at the zoo. Once you get home, wash your clothes with hot soapy water.

After your visit, you should observe the symptoms of a possible illness. If the symptoms begin to manifest, call the pediatrician immediately. However, if you follow these safety precautions, you have nothing to worry about.