Warning for rural parents over bacteria
As calving gets under way on many dairy farms, parents of rural pre-schoolers are being warned about a potentially life-threatening bacteria.
Shiga toxin producing E.coli (STEC) is easily spread and can have have life-threatening consequences, especially for young children living on and around farms who are most at risk.
Taranaki District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Jonathan Jarman said the bacteria were carried in the intestines of cattle and other animals.
‘‘Young children on farms with cattle are at high risk of catching this disease,’’ he said.
Also known as Verotoxin producing E.coli (VTEC), STEC causes a severe gastrointestinal illness with symptoms including watery diarrhoea, blood in the diarrhoea, severe stomach pains and vomiting.
STEC is a relatively new illness to New Zealand, first detected in 1993, and confirmed cases have been increasing in most regions.
The trend has been more pronounced in the upper North Island and Taranaki has one of the highest rates of STEC - on average there are about 10 cases notified each year in Taranaki.
Most of the cases are children aged under five.
Between 2006 and 2015, there were 67 confirmed cases in the region with nearly half resulting in admission to hospital.
Young children with STEC illness were more likely to get a severe complication called Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS), which could damage their kidneys, Jarman said.
‘‘On average we get a child with this complication once a year in Taranaki,’’ he said.
STEC tended to peak in September and October and most of those cases were usually children under five who either lived on a farm or had had exposure to farm animals, Jarman said.
Research conducted by ESR for the Ministry of Health found young animals were most likely to be carriers and while the number of reported cases was highest in autumn in urban areas, spring was peak season for the illness in rural areas.
STEC contamination could also be found in places such as muddy puddles near farm animals or their drinking troughs, farm clothing and footwear, and in dogs and other farm animals going inside a house.
Because STEC spread easily, anyone with the infection should stay away from childcare, school or work until being cleared by their doctor, Jarman said.
‘‘Anyone showing signs of the STEC infection should seek advice from their doctor before taking any medication for this illness as some may even make it worse.’’
Regular hand washing before eating, after helping out on a farm and after touching animals, cooking meat thoroughly and boiling untreated water and raw milk before drinking it could help prevent infection.