Nursery World - Foot and mouth hits children's well-being

The impact of the foot and mouth epidemic on the health and well-being of children and young people in affected parts of England is being assessed by the National Children's Bureau. The Government has asked the Forum for Rural Children and Young People, which is based at the NCB's London headquarters, to bring together information and impressions of the challenges health authorities in affected rural areas are facing regarding children.

The Government has asked the Forum for Rural Children and Young People, which is based at the NCB's London headquarters, to bring together information and impressions of the challenges health authorities in affected rural areas are facing regarding children.

The forum has written to 25 health authorities in England to assess what additional resources are needed to help children, who have perhaps witnessed the culling of animals, or whose family livelihood is threatened through the stressful epidemic.

The forum's co-ordinator, Andrew Brown, said the crisis was not only having an economic impact on farming and rural tourism but was also having social consequences. He added, 'We want to highlight the distress children in farming communities are suffering and make sure health authorities also regard it as an important issue.

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