The Lake County Fair, which runs April 7 to 16, will not be offering a petting zoo this year, in response to news of multiple cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) affecting children who had attended fairs around the state earlier this month.
There are currently 12 confirmed cases of HUS in Central Florida, which are linked to E. coli. Nine of the cases are in Orange, two in Volusia and one in Seminole, according to Dr. John Agwunobi, Florida’s secretary of health. All of those infected have been children who reported contact with animals at petting zoos at either the Central Florida or Florida Strawberry Festival this month.
There are no reported incidents in Lake County, but fair organizers don’t want to take any chances.
