North Carolina fair bans mist fans as health measure

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A North Carolina fair is banning the use of hand-held mist fans to guard against an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease like the one that happened at another fair last month.

A spokeswoman for the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem also says the fair’s lone water ride will be disinfected daily, and drinking fountains will be available inside a building adjacent to the fairgrounds.

Spokeswoman Siobhan Olson says the fair is following guidelines established by the N.C. Department of Agriculture for the fair opening Friday.

State health officials say more than 120 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease after attending last month’s Mountain State Fair in Fletcher. Health officials said an investigation suggests the outbreak could have been spread by a hot tub display at the fair.