Salmonella Outbreak Traced Back to Chicks, Ducklings

A total of 39 people, nearly half of them ages 5 and under, were sickened from a salmonella outbreak spread through handling baby chicks or ducklings. The cases occurred from late February to late May and are spread through 15 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. 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 were hospitalized. People who got sick ranged from small children to elderly adults. A mail order hatchery was identified as the source of infected birds, but CDC officials did not name the business. (More salmonella stories.)