Britons were today warned about a horrific diarrhea-causing parasite after the UK recorded its biggest ever outbreak this year.
More than 770 adults and children suffered from cryptosporidium, an infection that can be transmitted between animals and humans, as well as from person to person, and also causes stomach cramps, vomiting and, in rarer cases, blood in the stool.
Two separate outbreaks since 2023 have also left another 700 people battling the microscopic virus, health chiefs said.
Dozens of people suffered bouts of illness so severe that they required hospital treatment.
Officials investigating the unusual clusters of cases believe all three were linked to farms that pamper lambs.
People can become infected with cryptosporidium through contact with infected feces that they then accidentally ingest by not washing their hands properly.
It can be direct contact from an infected animal or person, or from contaminated surfaces such as farm gates or the soles of shoes.
Infected people can shed up to 100 million cryptosporidium germs in a single bowel movement, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The UKHSA issued a warning about the risk of Cryptosporidium infection on farm visits earlier this month.
Ingesting just ten of these germs is enough to make you sick.
The outbreak affecting 775 Britons is believed to be the largest of its kind recorded in England.
The other two incidents affected 264 and 482 people respectively, according to the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA).
It mainly affected women aged between 18 and 48 and children under 16 who had admitted to hugging and feeding lambs. At least 75 Britons were hospitalized.
Environmental investigators found inadequate infection prevention and control practices, including concerns about handwashing facilities, animal health, animal handling and feeding, and staff preparation.
Food was also served at or near the place where the animals were handled.
Authorities did not share what month or where the incidents occurred.
The new UKHSA data were presented at the European Scientific Conference on Applied Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases in Stockholm.
Cryptosporidium parasites are protected by a thick layer that allows them to survive even in chlorinated pool water.
Earlier this year, Sophie Enright, 14, from Hollywood, near Birmingham, is one of those who reported symptoms after her visit to the farm.
He became ill on April 9 and suffered diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting six days after visiting the farm.
Sophie was eventually diagnosed with cryptosporidium and lost a stone over the course of her illness.
Her mother, Emma Cleverley, 38, said she was worried her daughter’s exam results would be affected because she missed so much school.
According to the UKHSA, people visiting farms should take precautions to protect themselves from infection, including checking that the farm has good handwashing facilities with hot water, soap and paper towels.
Children and their supervisors should wash their hands carefully after touching animals and other farm objects and especially before eating or drinking.
Children should not eat or drink or put their fingers in their mouths while around animals and before washing their hands.
If possible, visitors should clean shoes and stroller wheels before leaving the farm and wash hands immediately after completing cleaning.
Sophie Enright, 14 (pictured) visited a farm with her mother Emma Cleverley, 38, on April 3 and on April 9 she became ill with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting.
For most people, cryptosporidiosis (the technical name for the infection) is mild.
It usually goes away on its own without any treatment within a few days or weeks.
However, for vulnerable people, such as those with weakened immune systems and the elderly or patients undergoing cancer treatment, it can be more serious.
Some of the symptoms, such as abdominal pain and blood in the stool, can be particularly anxiety-provoking as they mimic the signs of bowel cancer, which is known to be on the rise.
Due to the highly infectious nature of the insect, people with symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting are told not to go to work or school until they have been free of these symptoms for at least 48 hours.
Sufferers may also experience periods of false hope in which their symptoms disappear for a few days, making them believe they have finally overcome the infection, only for it to return.
Most people with cryptosporidiosis are not offered treatment and are instead told to drink plenty of fluids and minimize contact with other people while they wait until their symptoms disappear.
People usually become infected by contact with feces containing the parasite, whether from humans or animals, which then enter their mouth.
The risk of water supplies becoming infected is also higher after periods of heavy rain and when animals are giving birth, such as in the calving season.
Earlier this year, the UKHSA issued a warning about the risk of Cryptosporidium infection when visiting farms.
In a variation on the classic nursery rhyme, the agency wrote on social media: “Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.
“But wash your hands and dry them too in case you have cryptocurrencies.”