Petting precautions

”Wash your hands, guys,” said Mike Lindsey, stopping some students who had wiped their hands on their pants after feeding some goats, the Detroit Free Press reports. Lindsey was helping to supervise the Crouse Elementary School class visiting the Akron Zoo.
”I’ve heard about the scare of E. coli at (petting zoos),” Lindsey said, ”and the importance of washing your hands.”
A recent federal study covering 1990 to 2000 blamed petting zoos and fairs in more than two dozen outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 – usually referred to as E. coli – which can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and in about 2 percent to 7 percent of cases, life-threatening kidney complications.
The main recommendation is a simple one – wash your hands. The CDC suggests that you scrub your hands vigorously with soap and water (preferably hot water) for at least 20 seconds.