'Don't hug lambs', farm visitors warned after hundreds fall ill

Visitors to Welsh farms have been urged not to hug lambs after an infection outbreak earlier this year.  The report by Public Health Wales (PHW) comes after hundreds of people fell ill due to a cryptosporidium outbreak linked to a farm in Wales this spring.

More than 200 people became ill, with 18 having to attend hospital. The body responsible for public health in the country has advised farmers to avoid offering people close contact with the lambs, such as holding, cuddling or kissing them.

The publication by PHW shows those who had closer contact were more likely to fall ill. The advice is one of a range of recommendations made following the outbreak.

The report also recommends better hand-washing facilities, prominent signage to encourage regular hand-washing and that visitors wash their clothing as soon as possible after the visit. The report is being presented at the Royal Welsh Show on Thursday, Europe's largest agricultural show, which takes place in Builth Wells, Powys, annually.

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite, very common in young livestock, that can cause an illness called cryptosporidiosis, according to the UK Health Security Agency. It can cause sickness and diarrhoea.

In some vulnerable people, such as children, illness can be severe. Read more from Sky News:Demand on mountain rescue teams 'unsustainable'Plane with 49 people on board crashes in Russia Dr Christopher Williams, consultant epidemiologist at Public Health Wales, who co-authored the report, said diseases such as this one "are spread very easily" in environments such as lamb feeding events.

"This report recommends that lamb or calf feeding is supervised and done with the animals separated from the visitors by their pens," he said. "This means that people can still bottle feed the animals, but can have greater protection against illness.".