The last thing you want to take home from a petting zoo is a disease. Unfortunately, that was the case for one Iowa visitor.

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The City of Cedar Rapids sent out a press release Friday stating that a recent visitor to Old McDonald's Farm located at Bever Park in Cedar Rapids has been diagnosed with a disease after visiting. According to the release, the visitor contracted a disease called Cryptosporidium, or Crypto, potentially from two sick calves at the farm.

What is Cryptosporidium?

The Center for Disease Control defines it as a diarrheal disease that infects animals, some of which also infect humans. It can cause other symptoms too such as stomach cramps or pain, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, fever, and weight loss. It can be spread through water and, as the release states, through "feces passed by touching your mouth with contaminated hands."

The farm opened on Monday, May 10. KCRG reports that two of the farm's calves developed signs of Crypto two days after the farm opened and were placed in isolation. One calf died last weekend, but the other calf has recovered. As a precaution, it will be returned back to the farm that donated it. Luckily, the illness was not transmitted to any other animals at the farm.

The farm pens have been deep cleaned and disinfected twice, and the farm is now open. Those who visited Old MacDonald’s Farm are at risk of contracting the disease only if they visited on Monday, May 10 or Tuesday, May 11 and if they were "in the calf pen, touched feces and then touched their mouth." If you are experiencing Crypto symptoms, you are encouraged to contact your physician.

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