E coli cases linked to petting farm rise to 64

Published on Sunday 20 September 2009 20:33

THE number of people who have contracted E coli in an outbreak linked to a children's farm has risen to 64, the Health Protection Agency said yesterday.

The number went up on the 57 cases reported on Saturday as experts reiterated calls for a review into the health and safety guidelines relating to petting farms.

Yesterday, a committee was considering whether children under five should have contact with animals in the wake of the outbreak at Godstone Farm, in Surrey.

There are fears that tens of thousands of children could have been exposed to the infection since it was first identified in August.

Dr Ron Cutler, an expert on infectious diseases, expressed reservations about the existing guidelines, calling for greater "controls" to be introduced.

Meanwhile, microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington has urged parents to "think very hard" about letting children under five have contact with animals on petting farms.

Prof Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, said he was not happy with youngsters touching lambs, calves or young goats at all.

"We have to look very, very seriously at the guidelines that we have been running for many years and see if they need changing," he said.

"There is an issue here and I think the public expects that we have a really good look at the guidelines."

E coli can be especially dangerous in young children because they cannot tolerate much fluid loss. It can lead to kidney failure.