Pandemic Boosts Demand for Backyard Poultry Flocks
The coronavirus pandemic is propelling one new American pastime to new heights, with more people forced to hunker down at home setting up coops and raising chickens in their backyards. While the earthy hobby is a source of animal companionship and fresh eggs, it also comes at a cost, with the count of Americans sickened by salmonella linked to backyard poultry higher in 2020 than any previous year.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency and public health officials in all 50 states investigated 17 multistate outbreaks of salmonella illnesses linked to poultry in backyard flocks in 2020. Of the 1,772 Americans stricken in this year's outbreaks, 24% were children under five, 333 required hospitalization and one person in Oklahoma died, the CDC said.
Salmonella germs can cause a diarrheal illness that can be mild, severe or even life-threatening, with the very young, older people and those with weakened immune systems especially vulnerable. The immune systems are still developing in young children, who are more likely to stick their fingers in their mouths after contact with chickens, the CDC cautions.