HSE warns of risk of e-coli

With children clambering to go out to the countryside the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is putting a four minute video on its website to ensure parents, teachers and others are well aware of the hidden risks of picking up E-coli from closer encounters with animals.

The video "Open Farms Healthy Children" provides a quick coffee break reminder of the risks from the bacterium, that lives in the gut of animals such as cattle, sheep, deer and goats, but is also carried by pets and wild birds. Carrying the bacterium does not normally cause an animal harm or illness, but if contacted by humans, the toxins it produces can cause illness ranging from diarrhoea to kidney failure. In some case the illness can be fatal and young children and the elderly are at the greatest risk.

E coli 0157 is unusual in that very few individual organisms are needed to infect humans. People can become infected through a number of routes including the consumption of contaminated foods, direct contact with animals, contact with animal faeces e.g. camping on agricultural land and person-to-person spread both in families and institutions.

A number of outbreaks involving children have been associated with educational and recreational visits to open farms. While the hazard from infection resulting from a farm visit is real, the risks are readily controlled by simple everyday measures. Foremost amongst these is the need for good personal hygiene. Infection can result from exposure to bacteria from animals or animal faeces and then eating, drinking or smoking without first thoroughly washing your hands.

A little over 4 minutes long, "Open farms Healthy Children" demonstrates the ease with which the hands can become contaminated and focuses on the importance of thorough hand washing before eating, drinking etc. The video is not intended for distribution and sale but can be accessed via the HSE website at

http:l/www.hse.qov.uk/campaigns/killfields/ecoli.htm