The CDC has updated its investigation into the Salmonella outbreak associated with live poultry. As of June 7, 2012, 123 people are ill with Salmonella from live chicks and ducks. Twenty-six people have been hospitalized, and one person has died, although the government says “it is unclear whether infection contributed to this death”. Thirty-six percent of the patients are children 10 years old and younger.
The strains of Salmonella in this outbreak include Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Newport, and Salmonella Lille. The case count is as follows:
- Alabama (4)
- Delaware (1)
- Georgia (5)
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (3)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (5)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (3)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New York (16)
- North Carolina (12)
- Ohio (30)
- Pennsylvania (10)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- Tennessee (8)
- Texas (2)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (6)
- West Virginia (7)
This is an increase of 30 cases from the last update on May 31, 2012. New states included in the outbreak are Delaware and Kansas. The new cases are from these states:
- Alabama (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Georgia (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Maine (1)
- North Carolina (3)
- New York (3)
- Ohio (4)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Tennessee (4)
- Texas (1)
- West Virginia (6)
The CDC says that all evidence has linked this outbreak to chicks and ducklings from Mt. Healthy Hatchery in Ohio. This is the same facility that caused a 2011 outbreak of Salmonella Altona and Salmonella Johannesburg. Any facility that sells live poultry should provide health information to consumers that includes the risk of acquiring Salmonella from the birds.
The illnesses began between March 1, 2012 and May 22, 2012. The patient age range is from less than 1 year to 100 years. Fifty-two percent of the ill persons are female. Illnesses that occurred after May 14, 2012 may not yet be reported because of the lag time between contracting the illness and reporting.
