163 People Fall Sick In Multistate Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Backyard Poultry

A Salmonella outbreak has so far sickened 163 people in 43 states in the United States. Authorities say the number of affected people is "likely much higher."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the health departments in these states are looking into a multistate Salmonella outbreak that has been linked to backyard poultry, the CDC said in a statement Thursday. So far, 34 people have been hospitalized. No deaths are reported.

Health officials investigating the outbreak interviewed 92 people and of them, 81 patients said they came in contact with backyard poultry in the week before they got sick. The whole genome sequencing of the samples from the patients also showed the bacteria that infected them were closely related genetically.

"This means that people in this outbreak likely got sick from the same type of animal," the CDC noted.

Salmonella in duckling poop collected from one of the patients' backyard poultry in April was "closely related" to the ones in the patients.

The infections have so far been reported in 43 states. According to the outbreak map provided by the CDC, some states appear to be more hard-hit than others. California, Georgia and Virginia, for instance, logged nine cases each, while Iowa logged 11 cases and North Carolina logged 13. The other states have fewer cases.

The CDC has clarified that the outbreaks are likely not limited to the states in the list and that the number of people who got sick is likely higher since many people can recover from their illness without getting tested for Salmonella.

Backyard poultry safety

According to the CDC, backyard poultry can carry Salmonella even if the animals look healthy. This can "easily spread" to their surroundings, and people can get infected if they touch the animals and then touch their mouth.

This is why it's important to practice good hand hygiene after getting in contact with your backyard poultry. People should wash their hands after touching eggs and other things in the area. It's also important to not snuggle backyard poultry and to make sure to watch kids if they're around the animals.

"Whether you are building your first coop or are a seasoned backyard poultry owner, know the risks of keeping poultry and the simple things you can do to stay healthy," the CDC said.