Cowbridge: Number of people ill due to petting farm hits 74
The number of people who have contracted a parasitic infection after attending calf and lamb feeding sessions at a farm in the Vale of Glamorgan has risen to 74.Public health officials are examining cases of cryptosporidium linked to visits to Cowbridge Farm Shop at Marlborough Grange Farm in Cowbridge during April.Previously, 47 cases were confirmed of the parasite that can cause gastrointestinal illness, often linked to contact with animals, particularly young farm animals.Public Health Wales (PHW) reported that 16 people have been hospitalised for at least one night so far, and the number is expected to rise in the coming week due to its incubation period.
PHW said the farm shop had voluntarily suspended its feeding and petting sessions and is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation. The update follows the third meeting of the multi-agency Outbreak Control Team connected to the farm shop, which was held on Thursday.
PHW added the cryptosporidium infection causes symptoms such as watery diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, and can last up to two weeks after exposure. To reduce risk, it said visitors to farms should avoid close contact with animals, practice thorough handwashing with soap and warm water, and seek medical advice if unwell, especially after participating in animal feeding activities.
Public health experts are warning those who have come into contact with infected cases to take extra care to avoid passing the infection onto others.Su Mably, consultant in health protection for Public Health Wales said they are continuing to work with Cardiff and Vale health board and Vale of Glamorgan council. "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," she added. "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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Cuts to UK's global vaccination funding would risk avoidable child deaths, experts warn
Any cut in UK funding to a global vaccination group would damage soft power and could make British less resilient to infectious diseases, as well as causing avoidable deaths among children, leading vaccine and aid experts have warned. Scientists including Sir Andrew Pollard, who led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, said a major cut in money for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) could also make the UK less able to respond to a future pandemic. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not yet set out its future funding for Gavi, a Geneva-based public-private organisation that has vaccinated more than a billion children in developing countries. The UK has previously been one of Gavi's main funders, providing more than £2bn over the last four years. But with the UK aid budget cut back from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% and the focus shifting towards bilateral aid the expectation is that there will be a major reduction at Wednesday's spending review. Pollard, who leads the Oxford Vaccine Group, said that as well as continuing to save lives in poorer countries, there was a self-interested case for continuing with similar levels of support. 'It's a safer place, obviously, for people who are in situations where they wouldn't have been able to access these vaccines without the government support, but it also makes it a safe place for us, because it's acting as part of the shield that we have against the spread of infectious diseases around the world,' he said. A number of the vaccines used by Gavi originated in the UK, Pollard said, such as a new vaccine for malaria co-developed by Oxford University, and this meant the expertise and infrastructure were in place when Covid descended. 'The Covid vaccine was developed on the back of years of funding, both from the UK funding sources of government, Wellcome Trust and so on, as well as international funders that put teams of people working on vaccines here in Oxford so we could then respond when a pandemic happened,' he said. 'If we weren't doing this type of work, having the infrastructure and capabilities in the UK, we wouldn't have been in a position to have such an impact so early in the pandemic against that virus.' Dr Sandy Douglas, senior vaccinologist at Oxford University's Jenner Institute, who led efforts to scale up production of the Covid vaccine, said Gavi was known as one of the most cost-efficient of all aid projects, with one estimate suggesting a child's life was saved for every £1,200 spent on it. 'There really aren't very many ways of spending money anywhere in the world that can save a child's life for so little money, and do it scalably so hundreds of thousands of lives, millions of lives, are saved over time,' he said. 'The withdrawal or reduction of British funding to Gavi is going to result in the avoidable deaths of many children. Labour played a leading role in establishing Gavi, and Gordon Brown designed the financing mechanism that helps it to operate. I think it's something Labour should be proud of, among its greatest achievements since the NHS, probably.' Moazzam Malik, chief executive of Save the Children UK, who was previously director general for Africa at the FCDO, said the UK had traditionally been 'a very active player' in multilateral aid efforts such as Gavi and the Global Fund, which focuses on HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria. Pulling back from this would be noted internationally, he said: 'People kind of appreciate that leadership. And if the UK decides to take a much more limited position, what the world would see from that is a sense of the UK pulling back.' Gavi's statistics show that it has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children in 78 countries in its 25 years of operation, preventing nearly 19 million deaths An FCDO spokesperson said Jenny Chapman, the international development minister and peer, had set out that 'global health is a priority for this government and is a key issue as we modernise our approach to international development. 'Whilst we would not comment on the size of future pledges before announcing them, we continue to work with our partners, including Gavi, on this crucial issue.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Denbigh hockey player 'in limbo' after head struck by ball
"I understand there is an element of risk in hockey, but surely a brain injury must trigger some help?"Claerwen Render, 42, loved sports but her life changed when she was hit on the forehead by a hockey ball five years mother-of-three has suffered daily migraines and fatigue since and has seen her income halve after giving up her role as a member of a secondary school's senior leadership after being refused an insurance payout through her sport's governing body, she has been left questioning if affiliation payments are worth Cymru said it had developed their approach to head injuries but that more needed to happen to explain the limitations of insurance cover. Mrs Render was playing for Clwb Hoci Rhuthun in Denbighshire in November 2019 when she was caught on the temple by a ball struck by an opposing badly, she was taken by ambulance to the nearest A&E the next few months she tried to return to the classroom as a maths teacher, but struggled to cope."I'm not getting half my old life back. I'm just in limbo, in pain," said Mrs Render."I can't do anything. It really affects my sleep. I've taken time off work but no amount of rest gets rid of my symptoms. It's debilitating."I can't do normal things like before. I can't enjoy going to the kids' activities. If I stay I suffer, or I'll go to work in more pain and I have to go to bed." Nine months after the incident, Mrs Render, from Denbigh, made an insurance claim through her Hoci Cymru membership but said her application did not trigger any now works four mornings a week having been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome."Why have I paid 15 years of affiliation and insurance? It was for something like this," said Mrs Render."I understand there is an element of risk, but surely a brain injury must trigger something? Are we just paying into a bottomless pit?"I'm just disappointed that I'm not compensated for loss of earnings, the future of my kids, everything."One sports lawyer said few players were fully aware of the level of cover they have for head injuries."No-one signs up to play these sports to get permanent and progressive brain damage and a very high number of sports men and women, we believe, have that," said Richard Boardman, from law firm Rylands Garth. "It is critical that all grassroots players know about the risks involved in collision sports, and whether they are covered for brain injuries," Mr Boardman Morris from brain injury charity Headway, stressed the health and social benefits of sports, including brain health, but also said players needed to be aware of how insurance cover works."It is something that governing bodies and insurers need to be transparent with and really convey to people what circumstances they wouldn't be covered."So people can take out further insurance if they need to, protection against loss of income for example," he said. Hoci Cymru's concussion policy was first introduced in 2021. Its chief executive, Paul Whapham, said they could not comment on individual insurance cases but acknowledged the "very real impact" Mrs Render's injury had and took her concerns "seriously"."This situation highlights the importance of clear communication and transparency around insurance coverage," said Mr added Hoci Cymru's approach to head injuries had developed but there was "always more" to be done so players "understand the extent and limitations of cover provided through affiliation"."We are committed to working with our insurers, our clubs and partners to ensure that policies are clear, fair and supportive of our players' wellbeing," Mr Whapham said.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Number of fat jab NHS prescriptions doubles in a year as 73% of Sun readers now think about using injections
ENGLAND has become a fat jab nation as weight loss drug prescriptions double to almost three million in a year. Demand for drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro show no signs of slowing, with the NHS splashing out £269million on them in 2024-25. 5 It comes as a new Sun survey reveals 73 per cent of our readers are thinking of using them as they struggle to shift weight. Official figures show prescriptions for the big three — Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy — rocketed from 1.4million in 2023-24 to 2.7million last year. The increase was driven by Mounjaro, regarded as the strongest jab, with prescriptions surging to 1.1million from just 3,300 a year earlier. Most were prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes, as the injections were designed to treat that condition, and have only recently been approved for weight loss alone. NHS figures suggest prescriptions in Wales also doubled last year, from approximately 34,000 to 70,000, and in Scotland from 40,000 to 50,000. The numbers are expected to rise again this year as the NHS introduces them through slimming clinics. More than a million people are also already buying the jabs privately. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: 'Never in my career have I seen a product with as much hype as these injections. 'The demand is absolutely huge and I expect it to keep increasing — the only way is up.' Clare Butler, 48, said the jabs also helped her mental health. Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons The mum, from Manchester, who has lost 4st 4lb, said: 'Mounjaro didn't only quieten the food noise, but it helped quieten the over-thinking, anxious thoughts that had consumed my life for so long.' She described it as, 'the best decision I've ever made for myself'. Research is revealing wide-ranging health benefits to the jabs, such as lowering risks of cancer, heart disease and dementia, yet warnings over weight loss drugs are also increasing. 5 Medics warn they must not be used in pregnancy, while trying to conceive or while breastfeeding, for fear they could lead to miscarriage or birth defects. They have also warned that rapid weight loss caused by the drugs could lead to bone loss and osteoporosis. Annual statistics from the NHS Business Services Authority show the total number of GLP-1 injections prescribed increased from 1,427,968 in the 2023-24 financial year to 2,734,499 in 2024-25. It was a 91 per cent spike — accounted for almost entirely by Mounjaro's growth. 5 5 The totals also included brands such as Saxenda, Ozempic and Wegovy. In the same period, the cost of prescribing rose from £137,808,297 to £269,276,366 — equal to 2.4 per cent of all NHS spending on pharmacy medicines, or £1 in every £42. The NHS said: 'We expect demand for weight loss drugs to continue to rise in the coming years.' The Department of Health added: 'We recognise the drugs' importance for treating type 2 diabetes and their exciting remit as new treatments for obesity.'
