Alert on farm visits

Thursday April 5th, 2012

Parents and teachers have been urged to take precautions as the spring brings the "animal petting" season.

School holidays and the birth of lambs and other animals make farm visits an attractive outing for families.

But British experts are alarmed at the risk of outbreaks of serious illness being repeated.

The number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness linked to farm visits has soared in the last year.

The Health Protection Agency says it has recorded 61 since 1992 - but 22 took place in the last three years.

Most are caused by E. coli O157 and Cryptosporidium.

Dr Bob Adak, of the HPA, said families need to ensure they practise good hand hygiene.

He said only hand washing with soap and water is effective against these organisms. Wipes and gels are not effective against thick dirt from farms.

He said: "Ahead of the Easter weekend when families may be thinking about visiting a farm, everyone needs to remember the importance of hand washing after contact with animals. 

"Children need to be carefully supervised to ensure that they don't put their hands in their mouth directly after petting the animals, which naturally carry germs.

"When everyone has finished petting and handling the animals they need to wash their hands thoroughly using soap and water and to dry them before eating."

Tags: Child Health | Gastroenterology | MRSA & Hygiene | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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