Boy, 4, falls seriously ill with infection after visiting popular attraction
Michael, 4, was one of more than a dozen people hospitalised for at least one day following a shock outbreak of the cryptosporidium parasite at a Welsh farm earlier this year
A young boy contracted a "nightmare" parasitic infection following a visit to a petting zoo that left him hospitalised during a family holiday.
Michael, 4, visited Cowbridge Farm Shop at Marlborough Grange Farm in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, on April 11. The youngster was enjoying an annual visit to the farm to pet the lambs with his grandmother, Margaret Carpenter, as the rest of his family packed for a long-anticipated holiday to Malaga. But he fell unwell not long after the family landed in the Spanish holiday hotspot and was rushed to hospital, where medics were left puzzled by his nasty symptoms.
Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of 74 cryptosporidium cases linked to the Cowbridge Farm Shop following Michael's horror infection earlier this year. The parasite can cause nasty gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, with the four-year-old experiencing a raised temperature and diarrhoea just two days after his family boarded their flight.
Gareth Carpenter, Matthew's dad, said he initially believed his son's illness was caused by poor food or too much sun, and believed he would feel "right as rain" after some Calpol. Gareth, 46, from Bridgend in south Wales, said: "We put it down to the food, or that he'd had too much sun as we'd been out by the pool for a couple of hours."
"We thought, give him some sleep and a bit of Calpol and by the morning he'd be right as rain." But he continued to feel unwell, and the parents were forced to stump up €5,000 (£4,229) to have their son seen by a nearby private hospital.
The family said the ordeal was an "absolute nightmare" but heaped praise on "absolutely amazing" hospital staff after they saw a doctor "within 10 minutes" of arriving at the hospital. Doctors kept Michael under supervision for three days, during which time his parents said they had driven themselves "crazy" speculating about what may have made him so suddenly sick.
They didn't discover he was infected with cryptosporidium until they returned to Wales and Michael had provided a stool sample, with Public Health Wales (PHW) confirming the parasite's presence a day later. As well as being one of 74 people who was infected, the service said he was one of 16 hospitalised for at least one night.
Su Mably, consultant in health protection for Public Health Wales, said: "We are continuing to work with our partners to investigate this outbreak. Although cryptosporidium infection is usually mild and clears up on its own, it can cause more serious illness in young children and people with weakened immune systems.
"If you visited the farm and feel unwell, please contact your GP or call NHS 111. It is possible for this infection to be passed on from one person to another, for example if someone is caring for a family member who is unwell. It is important to protect yourself by washing your hands well, particularly before preparing food."
Michael has made a full recovery following his infection, with his parents adding no one else in their holiday party had contracted the parasite.
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