Cases of cryptosporidium, a parasite that primarily infects people through faeces contaminated drinking water, has now reached 77.
Most of the infections are in Devon but outbreaks have also been reported in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire over the past two months.
The most serious outbreak relates to faecal-contaminated drinking water in Brixham, Devon, which started earlier this month.
However, dozens more Brits, including children, have fallen severely ill since the end of March after outbreaks at petting farms.
And those seeking to seeking to escape the risk of catching the parasite this half-term by going overseas are warned swimming pools may not be safe either.
Cryptosporidium parasites are protected by a thick shell that allows them to even survive in chlorinated swimming pool water
Whole streets in Brixham have been infected with victims forced to endure days of diarrhoea and agonising stomach cramps, with one sufferer even comparing them to ‘childbirth’.
Residents have been forced to boil water for over a week to make it safe to drink, with some shops running out of bottled supplies due to panic-buying.
The source of the outbreak appears to be damaged air valve in the water supply line which ‘may have allowed animal waste or contaminated groundwater to enter the local supply’.
While faecal contaminated water is the classic way people get infected with cryptosporidium there are other ways you could be struck down with the bug.
One of these is direct contact with infected animals, a fate that potentially seems to have befallen dozens of Brits in recent months.
At least two petting farms, which invite families to cuddle barnyard animals like lambs, have been hit by suspected cryptosporidium outbreaks in the last two months.
Over 80 people are reported to be seeking legal advice after parents and children fell ill at Gannow Farm, in Worcestershire over Easter.
Victims of the infection suffered severe gastric illnesses with some even needing hospital treatment.
Sophie Enright, 14, from Hollywood, near Birmingham is one of those who reported symptoms after he farm visit.
She became ill on April 9 coming down with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting six days after she visited the farm.
Sophie was eventually diagnosed with cryptosporidium and lost a stone over the course of her illness.
Her mother Emma Cleverley, 38, said she was worried her daughter’s exam results would suffer as she missed so much school.
Another child, five-year-old Eli, had to be hospitalised after becoming ill with cryptosporidium, with his mother Kelly Roberts saying, ‘it could have killed him’.
‘We came for a nice family day out and left with a bug that could have killed him,’ she told the Sun.
She added: ‘Seeing my son hooked to an IV drip, having blood taken from his arms and not able to drink any water was just horrifying.’
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is investigating the farm which has remained closed since the outbreak.
Sophie Enright, 14, (pictured) visited a farm with her mum Emma Cleverley, 38, on April 3 and became ill with diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting by April 9
Sophie was prescribed anti-sickness medication and medication to ease her stomach cramps but four days later her symptoms had not improved
Writing on Facebook , the farm itself said it took the welfare of its visitors ‘very seriously’ and that it was working with investigators
Writing on Facebook, the farm itself said it took the welfare of its visitors ‘very seriously’ and that it was working with investigators.
It added: ‘We would like to wish anyone that is poorly a speedy recovery.’
Amy Chappell, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, is another parent whose child fell ill with cryptosporidium, and said her daughter Poppy had to spend four days in hospital following a day out to a farm during lambing season.
Ms Chappell said of her daughter’s cryptosporidium infection: ‘She was constantly being sick every few minutes and this went on for days.
‘After seeing the out of hours GP I took her to A&E and she was admitted straight away and put on a drip as she’d lost so much fluid and was given anti-sickness drugs regularly.
‘She was so drained and withdrawn she couldn’t even get out of bed for the toilet, it was really worrying for all of us.’
Poppy’s mother added: ‘It has really affected her psychologically.
Amy Chappell, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, said her daughter Poppy fell seriously ill and spent four days in hospital following a day out to a farm during lambing season
Tom Bayliss, six, and his sister Grace, two, at Hadsham Farm in Horley, Oxfordshire. It’s believed they caught cryptosporidiosis from the lambs
Hadsham Farm’s lambs were found to be negative for cryptosporidiosis, but they closed the lambing event as a precaution
‘She was sick so much that she is now really anxious about eating as she thinks it will make her sick and she has problems with her digestive system.
‘This has had a huge impact on the whole family – we had no idea how serious this bug could be.
‘We made sure we washed our hands after touching the animals and before we ate, and Poppy even wore gloves, but must have picked it up after that.’
Fellow parent Rebecca Bayliss suspects a similar fate befell her and her six-year-old son Jake after they became ill after visiting Hadsham Farm in Horley.
Her daughter Grace, two, and her husband Tom, 36 – who didn’t even go to the lambing event – also started having symptoms later at home.
‘It was awful. We were all really ill. My son lost loads of weight and was very close to going into hospital because he was so dehydrated. The only way I could get him to drink was to give him flat lemonade,’ she told MailOnline.
UKHSA issued a warning about the risk of cryptosporidium infection from farm visits earlier this month.
UKHSA issued a warning about the risk of cryptosporidium infection from farm visits earlier this month
Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution
Cryptosporidium is chlorine-resistant so even swimming in pools isn’t a guarantee against infection (stock image)
In a twist on the classic children’s rhyme the agency wrote on social media: ‘Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.
‘But wash your hands and dry them too in case it has crypto.’
People can get infected with cryptosporidium farm animals via contact with infected faeces which they then accidentally ingest by not washing hands thoroughly.
This can be direct contact from the animal itself or from faecal contaminated surfaces like farm gates or the bottom of shoes.
But in a warning Brits going aboard this half-term swimming pools are no sure-fire way to avoid the parasite.
Cryptosporidium is chlorine resistant and can survive in swimming pools for up to a week.
People recovering from infection are urged to avoid swimming for two weeks after their symptoms have cleared as they can still be infectious.
Such infections occur after traces of dried poo wash off an infected person’s anus entering the water before being swallowed by an unfortunate swimmer.
Infections linked to swimming pool use are believed to have been the cause of unseasonal cryptosporidium outbreak in Britain late last year.
At the time, officials investigating the unusual cluster of cases found the only connection between the cases was that dozens of affected Brits had recently travelled to Spain and other Mediterranean countries.
Other possible infection routes for cryptosporidium include the sharing of towels, using swimming pools both in the UK and abroad, and food preparation.
Source: Mail Online
