Number of Brits ‘horrendously ill’ with parasite after visiting petting farm rises to 81, as 16 in hospital

THE number of people who have fallen sick with an animal-borne bug after visiting a petting farm in Wales has risen to 81, officials have confirmed.

Sixteen people have been rushed to hospital after visiting Cowbridge Farm Shop at Marlborough Grange Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan - at least one of these is a four-year-old boy.

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All tested positive for cryptosporidium, also called 'crypto' - a highly contagious parasite that causes diarrhoea and spreads easily between humans and animals.

Among the youngest who became ill was little Alba Dobbinson.

The eight-year-old was hit with nausea and diarrhoea after feeding lambs at the farm with her mum, Vici, on April 17.

Photos show the little girl cuddling the animals and close contact with infected livestock is one of the main ways the bug spreads.

Vici said: “We were stunned because we had only been around other families and couldn’t pinpoint where Alba had caught it.

“It’s not like a 48-hour bug, it can potentially go on for up to a month."

She added: "She can’t even go to school, spend time with her friends or enjoy the weather.”

Meanwhile, Gareth Carpenter said he had never seen his son Michael so unwell after he was hospitalised, suspected of catching the parasite at the farm.

"He's had chicken pox, he's had flu, he has had viruses, he had many, many, many things as you can imagine as kids do when they mix in with other children, but I've never, ever seen him that ill before," he told WalesOnline.

"We had to put him back in nappies, just literally leaking. It was horrendous, stomach pains and cramps," he added.

The farm voluntarily suspended its feeding and petting sessions on April 29 as health officials continue to investigate the outbreak.

“We are continuing to work with our partners to investigate this outbreak and to reduce the risk of further transmission," Beverley Griggs, from Public Health Wales (PHW), said.

All cases have been linked to visits to the farm between March and April 2025.

Anyone who took part in the lamb or calf feeding sessions during that time is being urged to contact their GP or call NHS 111 Wales and inform them of the visit - not only those with symptoms.

The main symptoms of cryptosporidium infection according to the NHS include:

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Symptoms usually start two to 10 days after infection and can last for around two weeks once they appear.

Sometimes the illness may seem to improve as symptoms ease, but they can return before full recovery.

"Cryptosporidium infection often clears up without treatment but, it can be more serious for young children and people with weakened immune systems," Beverley said.

“It is also important to be aware that this infection can be passed from person to person."

Due to the bug's highly infectious nature people with symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting are told to stay off work or school until they have been free from these symptoms for at least 48 hours.

Touching infected poo and then putting your unwashed hands near your mouth is a common way of catching cryptosporidios.

This is because the bug lives in the intestines of infected humans and animals and is passed out in their poo.

"Good hand hygiene at home, especially before eating or preparing food, is essential in helping to stop the spread," Beverley added.

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Just last month health chiefs issued a warning to families planning to visit farms this spring, as a rise in temperatures could also see an increase in "harmful" pathogens.

Petting zoos in particular can expose visitors to gastrointestinal infections, they said.

Last year the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a warning about the risk of cryptosporidium infection from farm visits.

In May 2024, more than 100 people were also infected by cryptosporidium in Brixham, Devon.

The outbreak was believed to be linked to water contaminated with infected faeces making its way into the drinking supply.

Whole streets in the town were infected, with victims forced to endure days of diarrhoea and agonising stomach cramps, with one sufferer even comparing them to 'childbirth'.

And just one month earlier, dozens of parents and children fell seriously ill, and some were hospitalised, after visiting Gannow Farm in Worcestershire.