A mother says her five-year-old son was hospitalized with an animal parasite that “could have killed him” after a visit to a children’s farm.
Kelly Roberts and little Eli were at Gannow Farm in Worcestershire over the Easter weekend, which is under investigation following reports of people falling ill after their visit.
4
“We came for a nice family day out and left with a virus that could have killed him,” the Birmingham mother of two told Sun Health.
Just ten days after visiting the farm, which offers cuddling with lambs and calves, Eli was rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with serious illness and diarrhea.
He contracted a disease called cryptosporidiosis, which can affect people and farm animals.
“Seeing my son hooked up to an IV, having blood taken from his arms and not being able to drink water was just horrible,” says Kelly, an NHS administrative worker.
His mother first realized that Eli had “more than just a typical virus” when he woke up one morning covered in bright green vomit.
“The color was unlike anything I had ever seen before,” she explains.
Two days earlier, Eli had been sent home from school after vomiting.
He also began to suffer from a “weird tummy” and “runny poop,” his mother says.
While in the hospital, Eli’s condition rapidly worsened as doctors performed numerous tests to find the source of his illness.
He vomited almost constantly, had a fever, couldn’t eat or drink anything, and became very lethargic.
Her runny stools developed into violent diarrhea, which smelled “absolutely horrible,” says her mother.
The diarrhea became so uncontrollable that Eli’s mother had to re-diaper her son.
Doctors and nurses, who still weren’t sure what was making Eli so unwell, began taking special infectious disease control measures while treating him, which included using gowns and gloves.
“It was so scary at this point,” she says.
“I cried every day. Every time we thought he was turning a corner, he would get very sick again.
“I started to fear for his life.”
‘It could take weeks for him to improve’
A stool sample taken from Eli tested positive for cryptosporidium, the parasite that causes the cryptosporidiosis infection,
“When I told the doctor that we had recently visited Gannow, he told me that was probably where Eli got the virus,” she says.
“He told me that Eli wasn’t the only child in the hospital with cryptosporidiosis who had been on that particular farm.”
Kelly, who has been taking Eli and his older brother, eight-year-old Adam, to fun farms for years, has been “putting off” returning.
“We took all the precautions, we washed our hands when we were there, we took off our shoes in the car, we took a hot shower when we got home, we ate our own food and he still got sick.
“I don’t want to go through something like this ever again,” she says.
Although anyone can contract the virus, it tends to infect children under five, causing watery diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain that can last days or weeks.
After four days in hospital, Eli was sent home – but he is still very ill.
“He can’t keep much food down and takes dehydration pills,” says Kelly.
“It could take weeks for him to get better.”
‘It is too early to confirm the origin of the disease’
Although the outbreak was not officially linked to the farm, the website admitted in a post on social media, which has since been deleted, that it was the “probable source”.
The UK Health Safety Agency has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the illness, after receiving reports that 38 visitors were diagnosed with Cryptosporidis after visiting the farm.
Naveed Syed from UKHSA told the Sun: “UKHSA is working with Worcestershire Regulatory Services to investigate reports of diarrhea and vomiting in people who visited an open farm in Worcestershire over the Easter weekend.
“Samples have just been collected to be sent for analysis, so it is too early to confirm the origin of the disease.”
So Sun approached Gannow Farm for comment on Eli’s case.
In a post shared on Facebook last week. the farm said the site was “deeply saddened” by reports of people becoming ill and added that it had “taken every possible precaution” to prevent such an outbreak.
“It seems highly likely that we are the likely source of a virus called Cryptosporidium, which has made several of our visitors sick with diarrhea.”
The spokesperson explained: “We are truly devastated people who are unwell and we wish them the best recovery.
“Please be kind to the staff as everyone has worked hard to make this year as enjoyable and safe as possible for you all.”
They also stated that Gannow Farm had requested an urgent visit from Environmental Health to assess the attraction and establish the root cause.
The venue announced it was closing for the remainder of the Farm Experience 2024 season, with refunds for tickets purchased for the next two weekends.
“We made the decision to close because we are not sure whether the infection came from the farm,” a spokesperson said.
“We take the health of our visitors very seriously and want the best for everyone.”
The decision to close was made by Gannow Farm staff, not government agencies, although she shared that she was working closely with them.
How does it spread?
Cryptosporidium is transmitted directly from another person or animal by touching material that has come into contact with feces.
One way this can happen is by petting an animal and then putting your hands near your mouth without washing them well.
You can also catch the virus from swimming or drinking contaminated water.
Occasionally, you can become infected by eating contaminated food, including unwashed or unpeeled vegetables or salads, or by drinking contaminated raw milk.
For most people, cryptosporidiosis 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, the situation can be more serious.
Due to its highly infectious nature, people experiencing symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting are advised not to go to work or school until they have been free of these symptoms for at least 48 hours.
4
Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis and how to avoid it
Bug symptoms include:
- Profuse watery diarrhea
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Low fever
- Loss of appetite
- Dehydration
- Weight loss
Symptoms usually last about two weeks, but may last longer, especially in people with weak immune systems.
During illness, you may think you are getting better and have gotten rid of the infection, but it returns a few days later before you have fully recovered.
Take the following steps to protect yourself from the disease.
Wash your hands well with soap and warm water:
- Before preparing and consuming food
- After handling raw food
- After going to the bathroom or changing the baby’s diaper
- After working, feeding, caring for, or playing with pets and other animals
Help young children wash their hands properly and always wash and/or peel fruits and vegetables before eating them.
Do not drink untreated water.
Particular attention should be paid to hygiene during farm visits, washing hands after any contact with animals and only eating in designated areas.
How do I treat the disease?
There is no specific treatment for cryptosporidiosis.
Most people with a healthy immune system will recover within a month.
It’s important to drink plenty of fluids, as diarrhea or vomiting can lead to dehydration and you can lose important sugars and minerals from your body.
Cryptosporidiosis is highly infectious, so you need to be very clean in your home for at least 48 hours after your symptoms disappear, then don’t return to work or school until that time has passed, don’t share towels or bedding, and don’t prepare food for other people.
You are infectious to others while you are sick and have symptoms
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
