CDC Says It’s Your Mouth, but Please Stop Kissing the Bird
Listen: we know we’ve heard a lot from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over the past year. What were they to do? We live in a global pandemic caused by a virus never seen before in humans, and we all had a lot to learn from.
But this week the CDC turned to a different type of social distancing , which appears to have become such a problem that the agency decided it was asking for its own investigation. We are, of course, talking about birds. No, this is not a typo (although bird smuggling is also a problem). Here’s what you need to know.
Chicks are not for hugs
There are now reported salmonella outbreaks in 43 states, resulting in 163 illnesses and 34 hospitalizations as of May 20. “You can get sick by touching poultry in your backyard or anything in the environment and then touching your mouth or food and swallowing salmonella germs,” the CDC explains in its note to the investigation . And yes, “touching” includes kissing or hugging poultry.
If this all sounds familiar, it’s because the CDC issued an almost identical warning exactly one year ago (almost a day). And, apparently, we have not learned the lesson.
To help people with what they call “backyard herds” avoid contracting Salmonella, the CDC has issued the following guidelines:
Wash your hands
We are quite used to frequent hand washing by now, but the CDC has some guidelines for poultry: “Always wash your hands with soap and water immediately after touching backyard poultry, their eggs or anything in the area where they live. … and wander. “If there is no sink nearby, the CDC suggests using hand sanitizer and keeping it in the coop so it’s always close at hand.
Practice safe handling of poultry
The best way to prevent the spread of poultry-borne infections is to refrain from risky poultry behavior. “Don’t kiss or hug poultry in your backyard, or eat or drink near them,” explains the CDC . “It can spread the salmonella germs in the mouth and cause illness.”
Watch out for (human) kids
Let’s face it, most American schools lack comprehensive training in poultry safety. According to the CDC, some children simply don’t know that poultry “can carry the germs of Salmonella, even if it looks healthy and clean.”
Make sure children are supervised when they are around chickens and ducks. And if you are a parent, consider talking to age-appropriate children about bird responsibility.