Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Mail Order Chickens
June 1st, 2012 tmccoy
Eight New Yorkers have gotten salmonella from mail order chicken.
The most recent outbreak occurred from March 19th to July 29th 2011. The salmonella tainted chicken was traced back to a hatchery in Ohio. 68 people in 20 different states were stricken with salmonella after eating chicken sent from the Ohio hatchery through the mail or bought at a national chain feed store. These people had bought the chickens to produce eggs or to use as pets. The Director of the Ohio Department of Health stated ,”I encourage anyone who purchases baby chickens or ducklings to use caution when handling the birds and to always thoroughly wash their hands after touching them.”
An investigation published today in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the outbreaks of salmonella were largely from handling live poultry such as chickens. The symptoms of salmonella poisoning include:
- bloody diarrhea
- fever
- stomach cramps
The illness can usually be treated with antibiotics, and can be deadly.
