Handwashing advice for farms following cryptosporidium outbreak
© Adobe Stock Farm visitors and farmers alike have been reminded to follow good hygiene practices to avoid spreading diseases and parasites such as cryptosporidium.
The call from Public Health Wales for visitors to ensure they wash their hands follows 81 people contracting cryptosporidium after visiting a farm in Glamorgan.
Sixteen people also had to stay in hospital for at least a night after contracting the parasite.
See also: Cryptosporidiosis impacts four in five dairies, study finds
Cryptosporidium can cause gastrointestinal illness, often associated with animal contact, especially young farm animals such as calves and lambs.
Infections often clear up without treatment, but can be more serious for young children and people with weakened immune systems.
“Good hand hygiene at home, especially before eating or preparing food, is essential in helping to stop the spread,” said Beverley Griggs, consultant in health protection for Public Health Wales.
Anyone experiencing symptoms or who has been in contact with someone who has fallen ill after visiting the farm is advised to contact their GP or NHS 111 Wales.
Open Farm Sunday
With Open Farm Sunday (OFS) around the corner (8 June), farmers and visitors alike can take proactive steps to prevent illness through good biosecurity.
Annabel Shackleton, OFS manager at Linking Environment And Farming, said visiting a farm is not only a fantastic experience, it’s educational too, but they want people to continue to safely visit farms and the countryside.
“Straight after touching animals and pens or fencing, everyone must wash their hands thoroughly with liquid soap and clean running water, and dry them.
“Adults should always supervise children to ensure that they wash their hands properly and grow up learning that clean hands are essential, especially before eating.”
NFU Cymru deputy president Abi Reader, who has been hosting OFS for nine years, said the main thing is to not be put off and do the best you can.
“Put signs out for people to wash their hands, and the gold star is hot water and soap, but as long as you have running water, soap and sanitiser, it’s fine,” she said.
Ms Reader added that generic signs work well, but OFS can also provide them to host farms.
Advice for farm hosts
Open Farm Sunday offers some guidance for those farmers who are opening their farm gates:
- Provide handwashing facilities, signage, and supervision in key areas
- Segregate animal contact areas from eating zones
- Keep walkways clean and safe for visitors
- Follow biosecurity measures to protect livestock and visitors
- Ensure trailers used for rides meet HSE safety standards
Further advice on what you need to do on farm to keep visitors safe can be found on the OFS website.
Advice for visitors
To help reduce the risk of infection, visitors are reminded to follow these hygiene precautions:
- Avoid close contact with animals, including holding, cuddling or kissing, as this significantly increases the risk of illness
- Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after touching animals, boots or clothing, and before eating or drinking
- Alcohol-based hand gels do not provide sufficient cleaning – always use soap and warm water
- Supervise children closely to ensure they wash their hands properly and avoid close contact with the animals
- Do not eat or drink while touching animals or walking around the farm
- Remove and clean footwear and wash hands after leaving the farm
- Pregnant women should take particular care to avoid contact with newborn lambs during lambing season