Parasitic infection outbreak linked to farm feeding sessions declared over

An outbreak of a parasitic infection linked to public animal feeding sessions at a popular farm in South Wales has been declared over by local health authorities.

Cases of cryptosporidium infection began appearing in visitors to the Cowbridge Farm Shop at Marlborough Grange Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan in March, and continued to rise over the next two months.

Public Health Wales said on Thursday the outbreak was now officially over after a total of 89 confirmed cases.

It was previously confirmed that the infection had led to 16 people requiring hospital care for at least one night.

No new cases of the infection have been identified since a multi-agency response meeting held on May 28.

The farm stopped all public feeding sessions involving animals, including calves and lambs, on April 29 and continues to co-operate with the investigation.

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that causes gastrointestinal illness and is commonly associated with contact with farm animals.

It can spread easily from person to person and poses increased risk to young children and those with weakened immune systems.

A full outbreak review will now take place and an outbreak report will be produced looking into the incident.

Susan Mably, consultant in health protection at Public Health Wales, said: “We would like to thank everyone affected by this outbreak for their understanding and co-operation.

“We are particularly grateful to our colleagues from Shared Regulatory Services, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and the Animal and Plant Health Agency for their expertise and partnership throughout this investigation.”