A CDC investigation notice regarding a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections has been posted at https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/outbreaks/saintpaul-04-26/index.html.

Key Points:

• Thirty-four people across 13 states have gotten sick with the same strain of Salmonella that has been linked to backyard poultry. Among the 34 sick people, 13 have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
• Backyard poultry, like chickens and ducks, can carry Salmonella germs even if they look healthy and clean.
• You can get sick from touching your backyard poultry or anything in their environment and then touching your mouth or food with unwashed hands and swallowing Salmonella germs.
• CDC has tips for flock owners and anyone who interacts with backyard poultry to stay healthy while enjoying their birds.

What You Should Do:

• Always wash your hands for 20 seconds after touching birds, their supplies, or collecting eggs.
• Use a pair of dedicated shoes or boots for your coop and don’t wear them inside your house.
• Keep birds and supplies outside the house to prevent spreading germs into your house.
• Children younger than 5 years old shouldn’t handle the birds (including chicks and ducklings) or anything in the area where the birds live and roam. They are more likely to get sick from Salmonella.
• Watch these videos to learn more about how to keep yourself, your family, and your backyard poultry safe and healthy.

What Businesses Should Do:

• Source poultry from hatcheries that take steps to reduce Salmonella contamination.
• Clean and sanitize poultry display areas between shipments of new poultry.
• Provide handwashing stations or hand sanitizers next to poultry display areas and tell customers to wash hands right after leaving these areas.
• Display poultry out of reach of customers, especially chil­dren, so they cannot easily touch the poultry.

About Salmonella:

• Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 6 hours to 6 days after being exposed to the bacteria.
• The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.
• In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized.
• Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness.

If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.

If you are a member of the media, please fill out this Request for Comment form to submit your media inquiry to CDC.

Thank you,

CDC News Media Branch