(HealthDay News) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a notice regarding the risks for Salmonella outbreaks stemming from backyard poultry.
About 109 people in 29 states have gotten sick from Salmonella after touching or caring for backyard poultry, the CDC said in a health advisory. Of those, 33 people have been hospitalized, the CDC said. No deaths have been reported. More than two in five people affected by the outbreak are children younger than 5 years, the agency added.
Backyard poultry can carry Salmonella bacteria even if they look healthy and clean, the CDC noted. The germs can easily spread to anything in areas where poultry live and roam. The CDC recommends that people wash their hands immediately after touching backyard poultry, their eggs, or anything in the area where they live and refrain from eating or drinking anything while in the vicinity.
Symptoms of Salmonella usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria. Most people recover from Salmonella without treatment within a week, the CDC said. However, some people can experience more severe illness that will require medical treatment or hospitalization. The most vulnerable include young children, seniors ages 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems.
