Dozens Sick After Cryptosporidium Outbreak Linked to Welsh Petting Farm

A four-year-old boy named Michael spent four days in hospital with a fever and severe diarrhoea after his family visited a petting farm in the Vale of Glamorgan in April 2025, one of more than 80 people sickened in a cryptosporidium outbreak that has prompted Public Health Wales to warn families against picking up, cuddling, or kissing lambs this spring.

Public health officials investigated between 74 and 80 cases of cryptosporidiosis linked to the South Wales farm, with at least 16 people rushed to hospital at the peak of the outbreak. The farm shop voluntarily suspended its feeding and petting sessions and cooperated fully with the investigation after the scale of illness became clear.

Michael's father, Gareth, described how the family only learned of his son's diagnosis after returning to the UK, when a GP requested a stool sample. "I received a call from PHW the following day to say the test had shown Michael was infected with cryptosporidium, and that there were other cases," Gareth said. He defended the farms that run petting events while acknowledging the limits of what precautions can achieve: "It's not really the farmers' fault but even if they're taking steps it's just not ever going to be enough to eliminate the possibility."

Public Health Wales has now issued explicit guidance ahead of lambing season. The agency's instructions are specific: do not pick up lambs, and avoid holding, cuddling, or kissing them, describing it as "one of the highest risk activities for spreading infection." Hands must be washed thoroughly with warm running water and liquid soap after touching animals, fences, or surfaces. PHW is unambiguous that hand gels and wipes are not effective substitutes against the cryptosporidium parasite. Children should be supervised closely around handwashing and before eating or drinking.

Dr. Andrew Nelson, senior epidemiologist at Public Health Wales, said: "Lambing season is a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy the countryside, but it's vital to remember that young farm animals can carry germs that cause illness."

Farmers are also being asked to change how they manage visitor access. PHW guidance calls for lambs to be kept in enclosed pens with feeding permitted only from outside the enclosure, scouring lambs quarantined, and handwashing stations with hot and cold water, soap, and paper towels placed within easy reach of visitors.

Colin Evans, a farmer at Cantref Adventure Farm in South Wales, said: "Lambing season is a magical time and we love sharing it with the public, but it's so important that people enjoy it safely."

The cryptosporidium parasite causes watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, mild fever, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Symptoms typically appear two to ten days after exposure and can persist for up to two weeks. While anyone is vulnerable, the infection is particularly common in children aged one to four, and can be severe in young children and immunocompromised individuals. The Vale of Glamorgan outbreak was not an isolated event: England and Wales recorded 17 separate cryptosporidiosis outbreaks connected to farms in the year prior, a pattern that makes the spring lambing season a recurring public health pressure point.