Salmonella outbreaks in backyard poultry sicken Kentuckians

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chart, adapted by Kentucky Health News

Chickens are common in Kentucky backyards.
(Getty Images photo via CDC)

At least 17 people in Kentucky have become sick in an outbreak of Salmonella bacteria linked to backyard poultry, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"One in three sick people is a child younger than 5 years," the CDC warned Thursday. "Don’t let young children touch chicks, ducklings, or other backyard poultry."

The outbreaks have affected almost 500 people and caused more than 100 hospitalizations in 46 states; Kentucky's case numbers are higher than average for the nation.

Poultry can carry salmonella "even if they look healthy and clean," the CDC said. "These germs can easily spread to anything in the areas where the poultry live and roam. You can get sick from touching your backyard poultry or anything in their environment and then touching your mouth or food."

The CDC said owners of backyard poultry should:

• Wash your hands
  • Always wash your hands with soap and water immediately after touching backyard poultry, their eggs, or anything in the area where they live and roam.
  • Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available. Consider having hand sanitizer at your coop.
• Be safe around backyard flocks
  • Don’t kiss or snuggle backyard poultry, and don’t eat or drink around them. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick.
  • Keep your backyard flock and supplies you use to care for them (like feed containers and shoes you wear in the coop) outside of the house. You should also clean the supplies outside the house.
• Supervise kids around flocks
  • Always supervise children around backyard poultry and make sure they wash their hands properly afterward.
  • Don’t let children younger than 5 years touch chicks, ducklings, or other backyard poultry. Young children are more likely to get sick from germs like Salmonella.
• Handle eggs safely
  • Collect eggs often. Eggs that sit in the nest can become dirty or break.
  • Throw away cracked eggs. Germs on the shell can more easily enter the egg through a cracked shell.
  • Rub off dirt on eggs with fine sandpaper, a brush, or a cloth. Don’t wash them because colder water can pull germs into the egg.
  • Refrigerate eggs to keep them fresh and slow the growth of germs.
  • Cook eggs until both the yolk and white are firm, and cook egg dishes to an internal temperature of 160°F to kill all germs.

Call your health-care provider right away if you have any of these severe symptoms:

• Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102°F
• Diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving
• Bloody diarrhea
• So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
• Signs of dehydration, such as:
  • Not urinating much
  • Dry mouth and throat
  • Feeling dizzy when standing up

Kentucky has 16 confirmed cases of salmonella from pre-cut melons; health officials say you should throw it all out

CNN image

Health officials are advising Kentuckians to throw away all of their pre-cut cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew, since 16 cases of salmonella have been linked to these products.

The Kentucky Department of Public Health advises that all pre-cut melon be thrown out because the label may not clearly indicate that the product came from Caito Foods from Indianapolis, which distributed the fruit. The products have been sold under several brands and labels.

Caito issued a voluntary recall of these pre-cut melons April 12 in 16 states, including Kentucky. The recall also advises stores to quit selling these products. The recall does not include whole melons.

Salmonella Carrau is a bacteria that makes people sick. Symptoms usually develop 12 to 72 hours after exposure and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Children under 5, adults older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk of being severely affected. The release notes that most adults recover with antibiotics.

These infections are part of a nine-state salmonella outbreak that have all been linked to the pre-cut fruit. So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 93 people have been infected with the disease and 23 people have been hospitalized because of it. No deaths have been reported. Most of the sick have been adults over 50.

“Exposure to salmonella bacteria can be debilitating and potentially life-threatening, especially for small children and individuals with weakened immune systems,” Dr. Jeff Howard, the state's public-health commissioner, said in a news release. “Anyone experiencing signs or symptoms of illness should seek medical care and clinicians should be aware of this ongoing outbreak to ensure suspected cases receive testing and investigative follow-up."

The news release notes that salmonella infection is an extremely common infection in the Kentucky so lab testing is needed to confirm if an illness is linked to this outbreak.

All Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal has been recalled, so throw it away or get a refund; CDC says, 'Do not eat this cereal'

All Honey Smacks cereal has been recalled after a multi-state salmonilla outbreak has been linked to the cereal, infecting 100 people in 33 states. Two have been infected in Kentucky.

The Kellogg Co. first recalled the product mid-June, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the cereal is still being offered for sale in some places.

"Retailers cannot legally offer the cereal for sale and consumers should not purchase Kellogg's Honey Smacks cereal," says the FDA.

The federal Centers For Disease Control and Prevention warns: "Do not eat Kellog's Honey Smacks cereal of any size package or with any "best if used by date." In a tweet, the CDC said, "Do not eat this cereal."

While the official recall notice is for all Honey Smacks cereal products dated between June 14, 2018 through June 14, 2019, the FDA says you need to get rid of all of it, because Honey Smacks products with earlier dates might be contaminated.

The CDC warns that even if some of the cereal has been eaten and no one got sick, you still need to throw the rest of it away or return it for a refund. And if you have stored a cereal that looks like Honey Smacks, but can't remember the brand -- throw that away too and thoroughly wash the container with warm, soapy water before using it again. Click here for Kellogg's consumer website, or call 1-800-962-1413.

Symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, with most infections lasting four to seven days. Symptoms usually start 12 to 72 hours after being infected. Most people recover without treatment, but some must be hospitalized. Young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are at most risk of a serious or fatal infection.

The CDC says salmonella is responsible for about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths in the U.S. in an average year. Most of the infections come from food.

The FDA reports that 30 people have been hospitalized from the outbreak, and no deaths have been reported. The agency reports that it initiated an inspection at the third-party manufacturer that produces the cereal and that the samples taken at the site matched the outbreak strain, as had the ones taken by state officials. "As of June 12, 2018, the manufacturing facility is no longer producing product," says the FDA.

"The recall effort follows other prominent salmonella outbreaks, including one linked to pre-cut melon from a facility in Indianapolis that sickened 70 people and another connected to eggs from a single North Carolina producer where 45 people were made sick. Earlier this year, 210 people were infected by an E. coli outbreak that killed five people linked to romaine lettuce that had been grown in Arizona," Eli Rosenberg reports in The Washington Post.

New state public-health veterinarian appointed; her responsibility is diseases that spread from animals to humans

Dr. Kelly Giesbrect

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 75 percent of the new diseases that have affected humans over the past 10 years originated from an animal or an animal product. Kentucky has just appointed a new public health veterinarian, Dr. Kelly Giesbrecht, to help protect Kentuckians and the state's animal populations from such diseases.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Giesbrecht join our staff at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services,” Health Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said in a news release. “Her wealth of experience in public health and veterinary science is a perfect fit for this extremely important role and will be a tremendous asset to our work to improve the public health of Kentucky.”

Among other things, Giesbrecht is tasked with identifying and evaluating diseases that are spread between animals and humans, called zoonotic diseases.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says every year tens of thousands of Americans get sick from diseases spread between animals and people, which are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.

Zoonotics are transmitted in several ways, including direct contact with the body fluid of an infected animal; indirect contact from touching a contaminated surface; being bitten by a tick, flea or mosquito; or eating contaminated food.

Some of the more recognizable ones in the United States are Zika virus, West Nile virus, bird flu (Avian influenza), rabies, cat scratch disease, Lyme disease, E.Coli and Salmonella, though there are many more.

Giesbrecht, who will be part of the Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning in the state's Department of Public Health, will develop policies, guidelines and strategies to control zoonotic and foodborne diseases and share information as needed to health experts and the public.

Giesbrecht comes to the department with over 22 years of combined experience in veterinary medicine and public health. She has a doctorate in veterinarian medicine from the University of Florida and a masters of public health from the University of Texas. After clinical practice, she spent 11 years in the U.S. Air Force as a public health officer and most recently worked at the Northern Kentucky Health Department as a regional epidemiologist.

Salmonella outbreak in 35 states linked to live poultry; 21 cases reported in Kentucky; here are some tips to avoid infection

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention photo

Poultry specialists from the University of Kentucky are urging Kentuckians who raise chickens or ducks to take extra precautions against salmonella infection, since 21 cases have been reported in the state.

“Any contact with live poultry puts you at risk for salmonella infection,” Jacqueline Jacob, UK poultry extension project manager for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, said in a news release. “Salmonella germs can be in the birds’ droppings and on their bodies and also on their cages, coops, hay, plants and the soil where they live and roam.”

Salmonella is a bacteria that makes people sick. Symptoms usually develop 12 to 72 hours after exposure and include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Children under 5, adults older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk of being severely affected.

These infections are part of a seven-state salmonella outbreak that have all been linked to contact with life poultry from multiple hatcheries. Jacob cautioned that any chicken can carry salmonella, even if it looks clean and healthy.

So far, more than 300 people have been infected, with more than one-fourth of those children aged 5 or younger, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Many of the cases in the current outbreak are linked to backyard flocks, so we want to remind folks of simple things they can do to protect themselves," Jacob said.

Tips to avoid infection:

• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they live.
• Do not let live poultry inside the house, or around areas where food or drink is located.
• Do not let children younger than 5 handle or touch live poultry without supervision.
• Adults should supervise the handwashing of young children.
• Keep poultry away from your nose, mouth and eyes.
• Wash your hands with sanitizer that has a 99 percent or higher bacteria kill rate after handling poultry at shows and fairs.

“It’s also a good practice to be careful when you wash equipment or eggs in the kitchen sink,” Jacob said. “You don’t want to cross contaminate food. Always use a good disinfectant to clean up in the kitchen when you’re finished.”

Click here for more advice from the CDC for backyard flock owners.

72 in Estill County have stomach sickness; 35 salmonella cases confirmed; eight people hospitalized; restaurant closes voluntarily

The Estill County Health Department reported Feb. 11 that 72 people in the county have reported "gastrointestinal illness," 35 of them have tested positive for salmonella and eight have been hospitalized with "symptoms and suspected Salmonella poisoning," Lexington's WKYT-TV reports.

County and state health officials are still working to determine the cause of the outbreak.

The health department said most of the victims had eaten at the Eagles Roost Sports Bar in Irvine before getting sick, but not all, so "Officials are still searching for a source of the outbreak," WLEX-TV reports.

Health officials told WKYT Feb. 10 that an inspector from the state Food Safety Branch had inspected the restaurant in question and found no infractions, but did take two food samples back to the state lab for further testing. The restaurant received a score of 99 on its most recent health inspection and is cleared to be open.

However, the owner of the Eagles Roost, Don Wiseman, has voluntarily closed its doors for now and told WLEX that he is just being cautious: "I mean, in my heart I felt like I was okay, but I didn't know for sure. I didn't want to take a chance that, that I was the cause of any illness."

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps; they usually appear 12 to 72 hours after becoming infected and last up to a week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness from an infection.

People with these symptoms are asked to consult with their doctor and to report them to their local or state health department.

Salmonella infection is a type of food poisoning caused by one of several strains of Salmonella bacteria. Most often it is caused by eating foods contaminated with the bacteria, but it can also be caused by handling pets, especially if they have diarrhea, reptiles, baby chicks and ducklings and small pet rodents and then not washing your hands, according to WebMD.

At least 50 Kentuckians sick from salmonella, likely from cantaloupes; best to wash them with a diluted bleach solution

Photo by Richard North for Gristmill

Health officials have zeroed in on a farm in southwestern Indiana responsible for at least some of the cantaloupe that were contaminated with salmonella, an outbreak that has sickened at least 50 Kentuckians and 178 people nationwide. It has also been associated with the death of two Kentuckians.

There is disagreement between state and federal officials whether melons from the region are safe to eat, The Associated Press reports. The Food and Drug Administration says to discard any cantaloupes grown in the area that were bought on or after July 7. Amy Reel, Indiana Department of Health spokeswoman, says melons from other farms in the area are safe to eat.

The 100-acre Chamberlain Farms, 20 miles north of Evansville, seems to be at least one source of the outbreak. It stopped producing and distributing the melons Aug. 16. They sold cantaloupe to four grocery stores in Southwestern Indiana, as well as to wholesale purchasers in St. Louis; Owensboro, Ky.; Peru, Ill.; and Durant, Iowa. (Read more)

Salmonella is a bacterium that is found in the intestines of animals and is contracted from eating raw eggs or raw poultry or having those products touch other food. It can occasionally be found on produce, so the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services recommends washing all fruit and vegetables thoroughly and scrubbing the rinds of cantaloupes and other melons before cutting or slicing them. As Tim Wright, the acting health director in Anderson County, told The Anderson News,  "People use a clean knife and cut through the melon, and that can shove the salmonella right into its meat" if any remains on the rind. He recommends washing all melons in a solution of one cup of bleach to a gallon of water, because melon rinds get salmonella when rodents urinate on them.