A salmonella outbreak in backyard poultry is being reported across several states including Maine, officials said.
The salmonella infections stem from chickens being raised in small batches in people’s backyards, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported.
“Backyard poultry, like chickens and ducks, can carry salmonella germs even if they look healthy and clean,” the agency said. “These germs can easily spread to anything in the areas where the poultry live and roam.”
A quarter of the sick people in these outbreaks are children under 5 years old, the national CDC said.
Stephen Combes of the state Center for Disease Control cited nearly 30 cases in Maine, and says some people have been hospitalized, according to Maine Public.
“It’s unusually high,” Combes said. “Every year we are included in this outbreak. It starts when people are ordering the baby chicks, usually around springtime.”
Combes said people can get salmonella after handling backyard poultry such as chickens and ducks.
Precautions include washing your hands with soap and hot water after touching poultry, or using hand sanitizer if water is not available.
Another precaution is cooking eggs until both the yolk and white are firm.
