One-third of the confirmed Salmonella disease cases are children younger than five years.

The recent Salmonella disease outbreak in the tri-state area is linked to contact with backyard poultry. The outbreak has spread across 46 states and has caused 500 hospitalizations so far. According to CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention), the investigation has led to the discovery of more than a hundred hospitalizations and one death.

“The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” according to the CDC. They stated the reason as “This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.”

Backyard poultry can carry germs, even if they look healthy. Any person who comes in contact with them can fall sick. The symptoms include diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. The current outbreak is affecting young children a lot.

CDC has issued the following guidelines:

• Wash your hands immediately after touching backyard poultry
• Don’t kiss or snuggle them.
• Avoid eating or drinking around them
• Don’t let your children touch the Backyard poultry, especially children under 5 years.
• Collect and handle the eggs carefully

Call healthcare services, in case of severe symptoms, like –

• Diarrhoea for more than 3 days
• Fever higher than 120F
• Bloody diarrhoea or liquid vomiting
• Dehydration signs such as dry mouth and throat
• Dizziness while standing up

The health officials interviewed 271 people, out of which 70% reported that they were in contact with poultry before getting infected. To identify the antibiotic resistance against the infection, samples were taken from 382 afflicted patients. Unfortunately, 41% of the samples proved to be resistant to some antibiotics.

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