Health officials say 39 people have been sickened from a salmonella outbreak spread through handling baby chicks or ducklings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the cases occurred from late February to late May and are spread through 15 states. Ohio had the most cases, with eight. The other states were Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
No deaths have been reported but at least nine people were hospitalized. People who got sick ranged from small children to elderly adults, but nearly half were kids ages 5 and under.
A mail order hatchery in Ohio was identified as the source of infected birds, but CDC officials on Thursday did not name the business. However, Reuters Health reported Friday that Ohio health officials said the outbreak appeared to be linked to the Mt. Healthy Hatchery, which supplies chicks and ducklings to an unnamed nationwide agricultural feedstore.
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