Maine is part of a multi-state outbreak of salmonella infection linked to backyard poultry.
On “Maine Calling” on Tuesday, Stephen Combes of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention cited nearly 30 cases in Maine, and said some people have been hospitalized.
“It’s unusually high,” he said. “Every year we are included in this outbreak. It starts when people are ordering the baby chicks, usually around springtime.”
Combes said that people can get salmonella after handling backyard poultry such as chickens and ducks.
Even seemingly healthy poultry can carry the bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency advises washing hands immediately after touching poultry and eggs, and avoiding close facial contact with the birds.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.