Planning a farm visit this spring?

Farm visits are great family fun, but animals can carry germs that cause illness in people, even when they look healthy. Some infections can be serious, especially for young children and pregnant women.

People can pick up infections from animals, so it’s vital to wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water straight after contact and before eating. Hand gels and wipes don’t remove germs in dirt. Every year more people fall very unwell by infections like E. coli and cryptosporidium, which can sometimes be life-changing.

Simple steps for a safe visit

Do

• Wash hands with soap and water after touching animals, fences or surfaces, and before eating
• Supervise children while handwashing (20 seconds – about one verse of Old MacDonald)
• Clean muddy shoes or pushchair wheels, then wash hands again
• Eat only in designated picnic areas or cafés

Don’t

• Touch your face or eat while walking around animal areas
• Let children put their faces close to animals
• Eat food that’s fallen on the ground
• Rely on hand gels or wipes instead of washing

Feeling unwell?

If you or your children develop sickness or diarrhoea within two weeks of a farm visit, contact your GP or NHS 111. Seek urgent medical help for bloody diarrhoea. Pregnant women should take extra care, as some infections can harm both mother and baby.

With these simple precautions, families can enjoy farm visits safely this spring.

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