Seven E. Coli and 13 Cryptosporidium Outbreak Investigations in England and Wales required APHA -Help in 2024, according to a recent report.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) was part of seven Shiga Toxin -producing E. Coli (STEC) investigations, each in the first and second quarter of 2024, and three during the third quarter. There were three STEC O26 and two STEC O157 investigations epidemiologically linked to open farms; and two STEC O145 incidents traced to risky foods.
A STEC O26 outbreak, which started at the beginning of 2024, was caused by animal contact during an attraction of the farm visitors. E. Coli O26 was detected in samples of animal feces, which turned out to be the same tension as human isolates in further characterization with sequencing. Sampling was carried out for a STEC O157 outbreak in the third quarter, which crashed the human outbreak tribe into four samples of the animals.
A STEC O145 outbreak was caused by domestic Apollo lettuce in sandwiches in advance. Almost 290 people fell sick and seven developed a serious kidney disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Another STEC O145 outbreak was linked to unpasteurized milk, but officials did not make public how many people fell ill.
For outbreaks that are linked to milk and milk products, APHA advises that the farmer ensures that milkroutines and dairy hygiene are improved. Pasturized, raw milk can be a source of a series of micro -organisms, so optimized routines and hygiene in the treatment of milk, including all equipment and bottles, are important.
Cryptosporidium incidents
In 2024, APHA assisted with 13 cryptosporidiosis investigations, including 12 during the second quarter and one in the fourth quarter, a building that was investigated in the second quarter. Two outbreaks had both cryptosporidiosis and stec cases. The one involved Stec O157, the other Stec O26.
Eleven outbreaks were epidemiologically linked to farms in England and one to a farm in Wales. There were four APHA advice visits and three sampling involved.
For the combined outbreaks, 10 E. Coli O157 wasolates from monsters of animal faeces were identical to the human outbreak trunk.
Some attractions from the farm visitors offered hugging young lambs and piglets to visitors. This includes close contact, with potential for clothing and footwear contamination. APHA said that such activities increase the risk of transferring a series of organisms.
April to June is traditionally the busiest time for research into cryptosporidiosis and is related to the frequency of open farm visits by families or school groups around Easter and public holidays.
In 2024, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) investigated 16 outbreaks of cryptosporidium linked to farm visits, resulting in hundreds of infections. One major outbreak in the southeast had more than 400 people who visited an event for lamzingen and food.
Contact with young lambs, either by bottle feeding, or handling is a risky activity for the spread of cryptosporidium parvum. APHA said that the availability of suitable and suitable hand washing facilities, including soap, instead of antimicrobial gel, which is not effective for this pathogen, is extremely important.
The most identified shortcomings in animal contact attractions include poor hand washing facilities; suboptimal supervision of animal contact; contamination of walkways with contaminated bedding or droppings; And unclear marking of animal contact versus contactless areas.
For Coxiella Burnetii, who causes Q -Fever, APHA gave advice during an incident management team meeting about a dairy farm that sold unpasteurized milk. There were no human outbreaks of Q -fever -pidemiologically linked to farms in 2024.
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