At least 126 people have been sickened, according to the latest case count from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of an ongoing Salmonella outbreak linked to live poultry in 26 states.
The case count has more than doubled since 60 illnesses were first announced on May 8.
At least 35 percent of patients have been hospitalized. Of those ill, 82 percent say they had contact with live poultry in the week before their symptoms began.
The poultry in question came from Mt. Healthy Hatcheries in Springfield Township, OH, which has a long history of Salmonella outbreaks connected to its baby chicks and ducklings. Among them, the hatchery was connected to a Salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 195 people and killed two.
Investigators at CDC say that multiple traceback investigations of live poultry from homes of sickened individuals all point to Mt. Healthy Hatcheries as the source in the latest outbreak.
Illnesses in this outbreak began between February 4 and May 15, with patients ranging in age from infants to 95 years old. Of those ill, 39 percent are 10 years old or younger.
Mt. Healthy Hatchery ships birds to a variety of retailers. The company says it is working closely with health officials to accommodate the outbreak investigation, according to a statement on its website.
The company’s statement goes on to describe a number of precautions it has implemented to prevent the spread of Salmonella contamination to poultry.
“It is important to note that although some CDC data suggests a link to chicks from our hatcheries, the vast majority of chicks we ship are not associated with this outbreak,” the hatchery said. “Mt. Healthy Hatcheries ships thousands of chicks each week to customers, and our commitment is to provide safe, healthy chicks at all times.”
Baby chicks and ducklings are commonly associated with Salmonella. Health officials advise everyone to wash their hands thoroughly after handling baby poultry. Children are especially susceptible to pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and require extra precaution when handling poultry.
Below is a map showing the distribution of illnesses by state and an epidemiological graph of illness onset dates.
Food Safety News produced a video on the risks associated with handling baby poultry:© Food Safety News