Backyard poultry linked to salmonella outbreak; over 100 sickened

What is salmonella infection?

People with salmonella infection often suffer diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps after getting in contact with infected animals, their feces, or their environment or eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.

Backyard poultry has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people in 29 states.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 109 people got sick after touching or caring for backyard poultry. The CDC says 33 people have been hospitalized, and 43% of the Salmonella infections occurred in children younger than 5 years old. No deaths have been reported.

"Backyard poultry can carry Salmonella germs even if they look healthy and clean," the CDC says. "These germs can easily spread to anything in the areas where the poultry live and roam."

Backyard poultry has been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened over 100 people (Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images)

The CDC has found that the outbreak is linked to backyard poultry, but it hasn’t identified a common supplier, FOX Business reports.

Salmonella symptoms

Symptoms of Salmonella infections include:

Diarrhea
Fever
Stomach cramps

How to prevent Salmonella infections from backyard poultry

The CDC says you should take the following steps to prevent Salmonella infections when handling backyard poultry:

Wash your hands immediately after touching backyard poultry, their eggs, or anything in the area where they live and roam.
Supervise kids around flocks.
Don’t kiss or snuggle backyard poultry, and don’t eat or drink around them. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick.
Handle eggs safely.