Overview
- Public Health Wales has issued an official warning backed by the UK Health Security Agency prohibiting close lamb contact at summer petting-farm events
- Following a Vale of Glamorgan outbreak, 74 cryptosporidium cases were confirmed with 16 hospitalisations including a four-year-old boy
- Officials recommend thorough handwashing with soap and water, use of hand sanitiser and supervised animal interactions to interrupt transmission chains
- Symptoms emerge two to ten days after exposure and include watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea and dehydration lasting up to two weeks
- Children aged one to four face the highest risk, reflecting 17 farm-linked outbreaks across England and Wales last year