As of May 25 there were 372 people infected with the
outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 47 states so far this
calendar year. More than 36 percent of those are children younger than five.
Several kinds of Salmonella are implicated: Salmonella Braenderup, Salmonella Enteritidis,
Salmonella Hadar, Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i-,
Salmonella Indiana, Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Mbandaka, and Salmonella Typhimurium.
Illnesses started from January 4 to May 13. No deaths have
been reported, but 71 people have been hospitalized.
Epidemiologic, traceback and laboratory findings link the
eight outbreaks to contact with live poultry, such as chicks and ducklings,
which come from several hatcheries.
In interviews, 190 (83 percent) of 228 ill people reported
contact with live poultry in the week before illness started.
People reported purchasing live baby poultry from several
sources, including feed supply stores, websites, hatcheries and from relatives.
Outbreaks linked to contact with live poultry have increased
in recent years as more people keep backyard flocks. In 2016, a record number
of illnesses were linked to contact with backyard poultry.
