states have fallen ill with four different strains of Salmonella linked to live poultry from Mt. Healthy Hatchery in Ohio, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The numbers of cases by state are as follows:
Alabama (3), Arizona (3), California (1), Colorado (2), Connecticut (3), Delaware (1), Georgia (1), Illinois (4), Indiana (1), Kentucky (4), Maine (1), Maryland (1), Massachusetts (7), Minnesota (3), Mississippi (2), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (2), New York (10), North Carolina (10), Ohio (19), Pennsylvania (8), Tennessee (12), Vermont (2), Virginia (3), West Virginia (15), and Wisconsin (6).
Of those ill, 23 (15 percent) have been hospitalized, and 41 percent are children under the age of 10. No one has died as a result of infection.
Each victim’s illness has been traced back to live chicks and ducklings ordered from Mt. Healthy Hatchery and contaminated with one or more of four Salmonella strains: Infantis, Lille, Newport, and Mbandaka.
This outbreak was first reported on April 25, but new cases are still emerging, according to CDC.
People can contract Salmonella and other pathogens from handling live poultry, and children are especially susceptible due to their underdeveloped immune systems. Anyone handling baby chicks is advised to wash his or her hands thoroughly immediately afterwards, and parents should take special precautions with young children.
