IT
IT BACK
IT BACK TO THE DESK. >> SAN DIEGO COUNTY HOLDING A
NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER WERE THAT
A TWO-YEAR-OLD BOY DIED AFTER
CONTRACTING E. COLI LINKED TO
ANIMALS AT A PETTING ZOO.
>> IT IS JUST GETTING STARTED
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. WE WILL TAKE YOU TO IT AND HEAR
WHAT THEY HAVE A SAY ABOUT THE
SITUATION.
SITUATION. >> GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN.
GENTLEMEN. I AND THE CEO HERE AT THE DEL
MAR FAIRGROUNDS AND GENERAL
MANAGER OF THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY
FAIR.
FAIR.
FAIR. I'M
FAIR. I'M HERE WITH OUR DEPUTY GENERAL
MANAGER.
MANAGER.
MANAGER. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE HERE TO
SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT 4 INCIDENCES
OF E. COLI.
WE WERE NOTIFIED EARLY THIS
MORNING ABOUT THREE INCIDENCES
AND THEN A FOURTH ONE.
UNFORTUNATELY, A YOUNG CHILD,
WE'VE LEARNED, ABOUT THREE HOURS
AGO PASSED AWAY.
I WANT TO SAY OUR HEARTS, OUR
PRAYERS, OUR THOUGHTS GO OUT TO
THE FAMILY AND THE FRIENDS OF
THIS YOUNG CHILD.
WE'RE DEVASTATED.
WE'RE DEVASTATED. IT APPEARS THAT THESE FOLKS
ATTENDED THE FAIR BETWEEN JUNE 8
AND JUNE 15 AND WERE INVOLVED
WITH CONTACT WITH POSSIBLY
LIVESTOCK ANIMALS OR THE PETTING
ZOO.
ZOO.
ZOO. NO
ZOO. NO CONTAMINATION HAVING TO DO
WITH FOOD SERVICE OR FOOD AT
ALL.
ALL.
ALL. THAT
ALL. THAT HAS BEEN VERIFIED.
WE ARE TAKING ALL PRECAUTIONS.
WE WILL BE SHUTTING DOWN TO THE
PUBLIC ANY POSSIBLE CONTACT WITH
THE LIVESTOCK OR THE PETTING ZOO
AND WE ARE FOLLOWING ALL
DIRECTIVES OF THE COUNTY HEALTH
DEPARTMENT.
DEPARTMENT. THE FAIR WILL CONTINUE.
WE HOPE FOLKS WILL COME OUT AND
VISIT THE FAIR.
AGAIN, WE ARE HEARTBROKEN OVER
THIS INCIDENT, AND WE WILL HAVE
FOLKS HERE TOMORROW FROM THE
COUNTY IF THERE IS MORE
FOLLOW-UP, WHICH I'M SURE THERE
WILL BE.
WILL BE.
WILL BE. KATIE MUELLER IS HERE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR
THOUGHTS OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU
WOULD LIKE TO ADD, PLEASE DO.
>> I WOULD JUST LIKE TO
REITERATE WHAT TIM STATED
EARLIER, THAT WE ARE HEARTBROKEN
BY THE NEWS OF THIS CHILD
EARLIER, THAT WE ARE HEARTBROKEN BY THE NEWS OF THIS CHILD.
SAFETY HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND WILL
CONTINUE TO BE OUR NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY HERE AT THE FAIR GOING
FORWARD AND WE HOPE THAT PEOPLE
WILL COME UP TO THE FAIR AND
ENJOY ALL THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER
IN ADDITION TO THE ANIMALS.
>> WHAT I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD
IS THAT WE TAKE SAFETY AS OUR
NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AND
PRECAUTION.
PRECAUTION. WE HAVE WASHING STATIONS AND
SIGNAGE, TELLING PEOPLE IF YOU
TOUCH AN ANIMAL OR ARE IN A
LIVESTOCK AREA, PLEASE WASH YOUR
HANDS.
HANDS.
HANDS. UNFORTUNATELY, SOMETHING CAN GET
ON YOUR SNEAKERS OR AN ANIMAL'S
COAT AND A YOUNG CHILD MIGHT
TOUCH THAT.
TOUCH THAT. AGAIN, SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY.
PRIORITY.
PRIORITY. I CANNOT STRONGLY RECOMMEND
ENOUGH THAT YOU HAVE TO WASH
YOUR HANDS ANY TIME YOU ARE
AROUND ANY ANIMAL FOR THAT
MATTER.
MATTER.
MATTER. AGAIN, WE ARE DEVASTATED BY THIS
NEWS, BUT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD.
WE HAVE TAKEN EVERY PRECAUTION.
THE FAIR WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
JULY.
JULY.
JULY. >>
JULY. >> ON THE ANIMAL SECTIONS SHUT
DOWN AS SOON AS YOU WERE
INFORMED OF THIS OR WILL THEY BE
SHUT DOWN STARTING TOMORROW?
>> AS SOON AS THE COUNTY
INFORMED US WE SHOULD TAKE THAT
DIRECTIVE, WE DID THAT
IMMEDIATELY, FOLLOWING
IMMEDIATELY, FOLLOWING DIRECTIVES FROM THE COUNTY
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT. >> [INDISCERNIBLE]
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] >> WE WERE NOTIFIED SOME TIME
THIS MORNING THAT THERE WERE
THREE CASES OF E. COLI.
THE COUNTY CAME OUT AND DID SOME
INVESTIGATION, DETERMINED IT HAD
NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD AND
BEVERAGE AREAS AND THAT IT WAS
POSSIBLY OVER IN THE LIVESTOCK
AREA.
AREA.
AREA. THEY IDENTIFIED THAT THE PEOPLE
THAT BECAME AFFECTED WERE
BETWEEN JUNE 8 AND JUNE 15 AND
THAT SYMPTOMS FIRST APPEARED
BETWEEN JUNE 10 AND JUNE 16.
AS SOON AS WE WERE NOTIFIED BY
THE COUNTY, WE WENT INTO ACTION
AND AS SOON AS WE GOT DIRECTIVES
FROM THE COUNTY, WE STARTED
SHUTTING DOWN THESE AREAS.
>> [INDISCERNIBLE]
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] >> AT CANNOT ANSWER THAT
QUESTION.
QUESTION.
QUESTION. THAT IS A QUESTION FOR THE
COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
WE WERE NOTIFIED THIS EVENING
THAT THE CHILD PASSED AWAY.
WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. >> [INDISCERNIBLE]
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] WE HAD A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF
HOW THE TWO-YEAR-OLD --
[INDISCERNIBLE]
[INDISCERNIBLE] >> WE DO NOT AT THIS POINT.
AGAIN, I WOULD ASK YOU TO DIRECT
THOSE QUESTIONS TO THE COUNTY
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT. >> [INDISCERNIBLE]
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] COULD THERE BE MORE?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO DETERMINE
THAT GECKO
THAT GECKO >> AGAIN, POSSIBLY THERE COULD
BE MORE.
BE MORE.
BE MORE. MORE THAN LIKELY NOT BECAUSE IT
IS THAT WINDOW WHEN THOSE FOLKS
WERE HERE, THOSE LIVESTOCK
ANIMALS HAVE COME AND GONE, SO
WE ARE HOPEFUL THERE WILL NOT BE
ANY MORE CASES.
>> [INDISCERNIBLE]
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] WAS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON IN
THE ANIMAL STALLS?
WAS THERE A SPECIAL EVENT?
>> AT THIS POINT I CANNOT ADD
ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BECAUSE WE DO NOT KNOW AT THIS
POINT.
POINT.
POINT. POSSIBLY COULD HAVE BEEN THE
TYPE OF ANIMAL THAT WAS BEING
SHOWN.
SHOWN.
SHOWN. WE
SHOWN. WE DON'T KNOW AT THIS POINT.
>> [INDISCERNIBLE]
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] >> WE TAKE DIRECTIVES OF COUNTY
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT. WE FOLLOW THEM.
THEY WERE DOING THEIR
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. THEY INFORMED US THEY WERE GOING
TO HAVE A PRESS RELEASE AND THEY
INFORMED US OF THE DEATH OF THE
YOUNG CHILD.
YOUNG CHILD. >> WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS
CAPTION CONTENT AND ACCURACY.
VISIT NCICAP.ORG]
VISIT NCICAP.ORG] -- [INDISCERNIBLE]
-- [INDISCERNIBLE] THE ANIMAL EXHIBIT IS VERY
POPULAR HERE.
POPULAR HERE. [INDISCERNIBLE]
[INDISCERNIBLE] >> I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S MANY
ASPECTS OF THE FAIR.
OBVIOUSLY, ANIMALS AND LIVESTOCK
IS A MAJOR PART OF THAT.
AGAIN, I WOULD STRONGLY
ENCOURAGE FAMILIES IF YOU COME
OUT AND TOUCH ANIMALS, IF IT'S
AT THIS LOCATION OR ANY
LOCATION, YOU WASH YOUR HANDS.
I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH, BUT
THE FAIR GOES ON.
WE HAVE OTHER EXHIBITS AT THE
FAIR.
FAIR.
FAIR. WE
FAIR. WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE RIDES AND
OTHER WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES,
ENTERTAINMENT AND THOSE KINDS OF
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. >> I KNOW THIS IS PROBABLY A
HEALTH DEPARTMENT QUESTION, BUT
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN
PETTING AN ANIMAL'S HEAD OR
BODY.
BODY.
BODY. >>
BODY. >> YOU GO TO A PETTING ZOO, YOU
ARE PETTING AN ANIMAL,
POTENTIALLY IF THEY WERE INDEED
AFFECTED BY GOING TO THE
HEADINGS IN.
HEADINGS IN. >> [INDISCERNIBLE]
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] >> THEY PUT THEIR FINGERS OR
HANDS IN THEIR MOUTH.
THAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE.
>> THERE WILL BE A MEDICAL
EXAMINER THAT CAN ANSWER ANY
CLINICAL OR MEDICAL QUESTIONS
YOU HAVE ABOUT E. COLI IN THE
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. >> DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT
THE CHILDREN?
THE CHILDREN? WERE THEY ALL LOCAL?
WERE THEY OUT-OF-TOWN?
>> WE DON'T HAVE THAT
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. >> WHAT ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY
FOR FUTURE PETTING ZOOS
>> WHAT ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY FOR FUTURE PETTING ZOOS?
>> IF YOU ARE JUST JOINING US,
WE WERE WATCHING A LIVE NEWS
CONFERENCE FROM THE DELMAR
FAIRGROUND RESPONDING TO THE
DEATH OF A TWO-YEAR-OLD CHILD
WHO CONTRACTED E. COLI AFTER
GOING TO A PETTING ZOO OR COMING
INTO CONTACT WITH LIVESTOCK.
>> SPECIFICALLY, THEY HAVE SHUT
DOWN THE ANIMAL AREAS AS A
RESULT.
RESULT.
RESULT. THEY WILL HAVE MORE INFORMATION
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW. THEY WERE LIMITED ON SOME OF
WHAT THEY COULD SPEAK TO.