Lambing Season – what you need to know to keep well this Spring
Spring is in the air, and lambs are already in the fields.
It is important to remember basic hygiene messages during lambing season for children, pregnant women, and those working with lambs and calves.
Visiting the farm
Visiting lambs and calves on the farm or at a petting zoo can be fun, but you need to ensure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water to stay safe.
Bugs like cryptosporidium can cause sickness and diarrhoea.
For more information about staying healthy when visiting petting farms, go to https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/gastroenteric/pettingfarms/File,15820,en.pdf
Pregnant women and lambing
Pregnant women and people in at-risk groups should avoid contact with sheep at lambing time and avoid handling dirty clothing used by anyone handling lambing ewes and newborn lambs.
Farm workers and agricultural students
Contact with animals and their waste in any agricultural or farm setting has the potential for infectious diseases to be transmitted.
Handwashing is the most important measure you can take in an agricultural setting to protect yourself and others.
Wash your hands with soap and water, before eating, drinking, smoking, preparing food, or coming in to contact with children, especially babies.
Remember to wash your hands following:
- Any contact with animals or their surroundings
- Any contact with areas or farm equipment that is contaminated with animal dung or droppings
- Working in other contaminated areas
- Wash cuts and grazes immediately with soap and running water
- Cover new and existing wounds with a waterproof dressing before beginning work
- Work clothes should be:
- removed before going into residential and eating areas
- left at the workplace for cleaning#
- Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), e.g., gloves, aprons, etc should be:
- worn as required to protect the user from contamination by blood and body fluids (e.g., when attending animals giving birth)
- removed correctly and hygienically and either disposed of carefully or cleaned and disinfected after use.
Always remember to inform your doctor that you have had contact with animals in an agricultural environment.
Further information is available at: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/zoonotic/petsandotheranimals/browsebyanimal/farmanimals/Advice%20note%20for%20Agricultural%20and%20Veterinary%20Students.pdf