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Several states legally require hand sanitation stations at animal contact exhibits
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Seven states have implemented statutes or regulations that require animal contact exhibits such as petting zoos and agricultural fairs to provide hand sanitation stations as a preventive measure against zoonotic infections, according to CDC researchers.
“Proper handwashing is an effective way to prevent transmission of disease to persons at animal exhibits; however, outbreaks at animal contact exhibits continue to occur, in part because of a lack of handwashing stations,” Aila Hoss, JD, of CDC’s Public Health Law Program, and colleagues wrote in a recent MMWR.
Pathogens associated with infections linked to animal contact exhibits have included Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Cryptosporidium, the researchers reported. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians recommends that handwashing is performed after interaction with animals to prevent illness.
Hoss and colleagues from CDC’s Public Health Law Program and National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases published a report describing laws in the United States that require hand sanitation stations at animal contact exhibits as a resource for jurisdictions seeking to develop their own legal interventions promoting hand hygiene practices in these settings.
The list of statutes and regulations was compiled from March 17 to April 1, 2016. Seven states, including New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin, legally require animal contact exhibits to provide hand sanitation stations. These laws, however, vary. For example, while laws in North Carolina apply to all animal contact exhibits, including petting zoos, pony ride and poultry handling exhibits, statues and regulations in Wisconsin only apply to petting zoos located at campgrounds. In addition, only four states specify where handwashing stations should be located in the exhibit.
All seven states require that animal contact exhibits have signs that either recommend hand sanitation or indicate the health risk for interacting with animals. These states authorize a range of penalties against operators that do not comply with hand sanitation station laws. In Pennsylvania, for example, noncompliant operators are subject to a $500-civil penalty. In Wisconsin, violators may have their permits suspended or revoked.
Although the researchers did not further investigate the implementation or enforcement of these laws, they noted that their data can add to the body of evidence-based research on the efficacy of legal interventions.
“Thus, the results of this assessment can be used by researchers in evaluating the public health impact of animal contact exhibit laws related to hand sanitation,” they concluded. – by Stephanie Viguers
Reference:
Hoss A, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6601a4.
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.