The Health Protection Agency has issued a reminder particularly directed at those with responsibility for young children – about the importance of taking sensible precautions, such as hand washing, when visiting open farms (also known as “petting farms”) so as to avoid gastrointestinal infections.
Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness (GI) associated with contact with farm animal’s peak in the spring and summer, and during school holidays, when visits to petting farms increase.
Data generated by the HPA’s national surveillance system show that there were 61 outbreaks of GIs associated with farm visits
between 1992 and 2011, of which 22 (36 per cent) occurred in the last three years (2009-11); the great majority were caused by either E. coli O157 or cryptosporidium, with a small number caused by salmonella (see figure).
During the 19-year period, 1,238 people were affected in these outbreaks – 1,003 people with cryptosporidium and 235 with E. coli O157.
Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, VTEC O157and S. Typhimurium linked to open/petting farm settings.
In a press release, the HPA stresses that children need to be carefully supervised both to ensure that they don’t put their hands
in their mouths directly after petting the animals (since all ruminant animals must be assumed to carry bacteria such as E. coli O157 and to excrete them in their faeces) and to ensure that their hands are washed thoroughly using soap and water and dried
before eating. It is stressed that hand gels or wipes – which may be useful in areas that are generally clean, such as offices or hospitals – are not effective in completely removing bugs such as E.coli or cryptosporidium from soiled hands.
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