A health warning has been issued after two families fell seriously ill following a visit to a petting farm. Amy Chappell and four members of her family, including her 11-year-old daughter Poppy, became unwell after the day out to a farm during lambing season. Poppy spent four days in hospital, and although she is back at school, has not regained full health and remains under the care of her doctor.
The Oxfordshire family had contracted a disease called cryptosporidium which can be spread by poor hand hygiene after contact with infected animals. Symptoms include profuse watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, low-grade fever and loss of appetite which can lead to dehydration and weight loss. Mrs Chappell said: “This has had a huge impact on the whole family, we had no idea how serious this bug could be.
"We made sure we washed our hands after touching the animals and before we ate, and Poppy even wore gloves, but must have picked it up after that.” Megan Tarbard, and her two-and-a-half-year-old son, Ted, from Banbury, also fell ill with cryptosporidiosis, following a recent farm visit. Ms Tarbard, like many others, made the visit during lambing season when the parasite Cryptosporidium is commonly circulating in the environment.
Though both washed their hands during their visit they came into contact with animals and picked up the bug. Ms Tarbard said: “I don’t think people appreciate just how ill these infections can make you – this is not like a 24-hour.
