Rebar quoted in BDN article on E. coli related to agritourism
John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “E. coli infections highlight concerns for Maine farmers in agritourism.” State officials are trying to trace the source of two E. coli infections, one of them fatal, in young children who visited a petting zoo at the Oxford County Fair, according to the article. “Nothing beats hot water and soap and washing your hands the way we’re all supposed to,” Rebar said of the best way to protect against harmful germs. Exposure to E. coli usually is harmless but can occasionally be deadly if the animals or humans carry dangerous strains, the article states. “When you turn your farm into a tourist destination and open it up to the public, that creates a lot of different dynamics that don’t exist in a [commercial] farm,” Rebar said. “The safety of the tourists or your customer is paramount.”