The Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds are once again open to the public and all 4-H clubs.
The property had been closed to serve as a staging area to combat the avian flu outbreak discovered back on January 15th in Dubois.
With the completion of on-farm activities in Dubois County, state, federal and contractor equipment and staff have been withdrawn from the fairgrounds. A scaled-down supply of response gear has been retained and stored at another site, should it be needed again.
Use of the fairgrounds for activities with people, pets, livestock and even birds can ó and should ó continue as normal. Use of the grounds and facilities for response presents no risk of infection with this flu virus to humans and animals that will subsequently visit the grounds.
Likewise, the Indiana Board of Animal Health has no plans to suspend poultry shows and fairs this year.
Therefore, planning for summer events should proceed as usual, in anticipation of a normal fair season.
This year’s Dubois County 4-H Fair is set for Tuesday, July 19th, through Sunday, July 24th.
State Veterinarian Bret Marsh on Monday reiterated two points about the H7N8 influenza virus. First that the virus does not pose a food safety hazard; properly cooked egg and poultry products are safe to eat.
And second that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has stated that this virus has never been associated with human cases in the United States or the world.
