Imagine the scene – Tom and Mary are both working in white-collar jobs as did their parents before them. They have four small children. They are dedicated parents and they would like their children to experience a bit of country life. Where better then to head for than the local open farm. The first thing to be done is to buy the kids nice wellies, then pack a really nice picnic. There’s great excitement at seeing the baby animals. Mammy and Daddy caution about rubbing the animals and getting too close. All goes well until picnic time. The rug is laid down and the food is put out. But does anyone think of washing the little hands after contact with animals?

Visitors

I’m reminded of this because yesterday we had visitors to our farm who had three little boys in tow. I was feeding the calves at the time. As I filled buckets with water to make replacer, there was a chorus of “can I pour the water?” and “can I have a turn?” When I added the replacer and got my large whisk, it was a new chorus – “can I mix it please”, “what is it”, “can I do it” and so on. Energy abounded and there was no fear. They were climbing out of their vigilant parents’ arms. They wanted to be in with the calves.

Children are curious and, with the best will in the world on behalf of parents, they will still rub animals and feed animals. It is imperative that hands are washed after the visit to protect against tummy upsets and other infections.

During the summer, the Environmental Health Association of Ireland launched Open Farms and Pet Farms In Ireland: A Practical Guide To Preventing and Controlling Infection, and it makes for interesting reading.

The document was featured recently on Ear to the Ground when the team went to visit Leahy’s Open Farm in Dungourney, Midleton, Co Cork. The document aims to make sure that visitors who interact with animals do so in a safe way and do not pick up any untoward infections. It is of interest to farmers because we all have children visiting our farms from time to time. The obvious issues of farm safety are to the forefront of our minds, but we forget that infections can be picked up from animals if we are not careful about hygiene practices. Well-run open farms and pet farms will have hand-washing facilities in place for use by families. At this time of year many of them are gearing up for visitors over the Easter break to see the newly born animals. There is an onus on operators to be vigilant about policing infection control on their premises.

Hand-washing plays a critical role in infection control. We know the advice, but how many of us actually wash our hands correctly. I’m blue in the face from trying to make sure the students I instruct are able to wash their hands properly. It’s one of those essential life skills that children need to acquire for their own protection. This is set out in the guide. Hands must be wet with warm water, soap must be applied, hands must be rubbed together vigorously between fingers, back and front. They must also be rinsed and dried thoroughly. A cursory wetting of the fingers followed by a shake and rubbing along the thighs does not do anything to help infection control. In fact, it makes the situation worse.

One of the aims of the guide to preventing and controlling infections on open farms is to highlight to the public that while the risk of infection from animals is low, it is still a risk. This risk is minimised by good hand-washing on the part of visitors, adhering to the rules of the premises, not entering animal pens and not lifting children to kiss animals.

There is an added risk for pregnant women. Now, those of us who reared children on farms and worked on our farms during pregnancy could be tempted to scoff at these precautions. Nevertheless, the Environmental Health Association of Ireland has launched this document because of reported cases of infection and in an effort to educate the public to take more care.

Proper procedures

There is also an onus, on the operators of open farms and pet farms, to make sure the proper procedures are followed and this document provides a perfect guide for them.

For example, no animals should be able to roam around where people are eating their lunches or snacks. Children should not be allowed to eat or drink in areas that are not designated for that purpose. Routes should be clearly defined. Proper hand-washing facilities should be provided and so on. The rules may seem a bit excessive, but when you consider the list of potential diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people, it is worth being vigilant.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Have a look at the website www.ehai.ie where you can view the document and find what’s relevant to you. The aim of the document is to safeguard public health.