Backyard chicken flocks have caused a rash of outbreaks of
salmonella poisoning, including children, reports the United States Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
The data comes out just as city councils, including the one
in Kitchener, are considering bylaw changes to legalize raising chickens in the
city.
The U.S. agency says there now are “eight multistate outbreaks of human salmonella
infections linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks.
“In the eight
outbreaks, 611 people infected with the outbreak strains of salmonella were
reported from 45 states.
“Illnesses
started on dates ranging from January 4 to June 25.”
Of those who
became ill, 138 were hospitalized. One died, but not of salmonella. Thirty-two
per cent (195 of those sickened) were children under the age of five.
The agency
says “epidemiologic, traceback, and laboratory findings have linked the eight outbreaks to contact with live
poultry such as chicks and ducklings sourced from multiple hatcheries.”
