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OLYMPIA, Wash. — Four new cases of salmonella in Washington state have been linked to contact with backyard poultry, the state health department announced Friday.
The cases were reported as part of a multistate outbreak that is under investigation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new cases were found in Clallam, Island, Stevens and Spokane counties upping the outbreak total to 20 cases so far this year, health officials said.
"Cases in this outbreak range from 0-85 years old; two-thirds are female; eight cases have resulted in hospitalization," health officials said in a news release.
According to the health department, the highest number of cases in Washington related to a national outbreak linked to backyard poultry was 23 in 2017.
"Salmonella can cause serious illness and can spread from animals to people and from people to people," said Hanna Oltean who investigates diseases carried by animals for the state Department of Health. "You can get the infection from a variety of sources, including eating or drinking contaminated food or water or touching infected animals and not washing your hands."
Health officials said children are especially at risk of salmonella because they are less likely to wash their hands and have more hand-to-mouth contact than adults.
According to the health department, symptoms of salmonella typically begin about one to three days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever and stomach pain.
The health department gave the following tips to help anyone who owns backyard poultry to avoid a salmonella infection:
Always wash hands with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam. Even healthy-looking chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys can carry salmonella bacteria.
Don't snuggle or kiss live poultry or allow them in family living spaces.
Don't eat or drink where poultry live or roam.
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