COLUMBUS, Ohio — Backyard bird husbandry has flourished in the past year, but America’s love affair with backyard chickens is actually making many people sick.

 

Just this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says eight separate salmonella outbreaks linked to contact with pet poultry have taken place in the United States, sickening more than 370 people in 47 states and hospitalizing 71. No deaths have been reported.

In 2016, a record 895 people who had contact with fowl came down with nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever that characterize this infection. Three of those people did not survive.

“Ohio topped the list of states that reported illnesses, followed by Kentucky, Tennessee and California,” said Melanie Amato, public information officer for the CDC. “The outbreaks occurred in Lorain, Ashtabula, Erie and Geauga counties in northeast Ohio, as well as counties in central and southeast Ohio.”

There have been 31 cases of salmonella in Ohio since the first of the year. Many municipalities are attempting to put a stop to the backyard poultry operations, but public protest has put a dent into those attempts. As of now, such bird operations are allowed throughout Ohio.

“We’re telling flock owners to hold back on their cuddling of these animals,” Amato said. “Half of the hundreds of salmonella patients surveyed acknowledged snuggling baby birds and 46 percent said they allowed their poultry in the house.

“Cohabitation with poultry is not a good idea, no matter how cuddly and housetrained the birds might be. In particular, chickens, geese and the like should not be in spots where foods is prepared and consumed, because their germs can transfer from feathers to casseroles and right into your stomach.”

In humans, salmonella causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, but it doesn’t cause any symptoms in poultry. “You feel yucky for a couple of days,” Amato said. “Most symptoms go away on their own.”

Amato and the CDC recommend the following steps for safe handling of backyard flocks:

•Always wash your hands well after touching live poultry or anything in the pens

•Don’t let chickens or ducks inside the house or on a deck

•Children younger than 5 years, adults older than 65 and people with weakened immune systems should not handle live poultry

•Do not hug or kiss chickens and ducks 

 

•Don’t clean any poultry equipment inside the house

When you are collecting eggs, the CDC offers these tips for safety:

•Always wash your hands with soap and water after handling eggs, chickens or anything in their surroundings

•Collect eggs often so they don’t become dirty in the nest, and discard cracked eggs

•Refrigerate collected eggs immediately

•Clean dirty eggs with fine sandpaper, a brush or cloth; don’t wash eggs, because colder water can pull bacteria into the egg

•Cook eggs thoroughly; raw and undercooked eggs may contain salmonella bacteria