04/03/07 Taking precautions for Easter

Every year a large number of new chicks and ducklings make their way into the hands of children at Easter-time. And while Easter is a time of new birth and there is nothing quite as adorable as a new, fuzzy, little baby duck or chick, there is a very large threat of spreading disease from the contact with the animals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 81 people in 22 states fell ill last spring after contracting salmonella. Nicholas Gaffga, CDC Medical Epidemiologist in Atlanta cautions parents and grandparents. GAFFGA: Well we have found over the past few years a number of outbreaks of salmonella or salmonellosis that have been upon further investigation of the patients who became ill that they were likely exposed to baby chicks and ducklings and other poultry. Gaffga says that the same precautions are necessary with chicks as with raw chicken meat and raw eggs. GAFFGA: There are different sub-types of salmonella but it's the same salmonella bacteria that is associated with other kinds of poultry as well. Salmonella is NOT something you want to mess with. Gaffga explains the symptoms. GAFFGA: People who have salmonellosis often are presented with fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and sometimes even bloody diarrhea and sometimes in children it can require hospitalization or in adults as well. HMmm, cute baby chicks&nausea, fever. Cute baby ducklings, vomiting, abdominal  well what does the CDC recommend. GAFFGA: Well our recommendation is that children under 5 years of age don't have contact with baby birds and that children who are older than that, older than 5 or adults should  if they do touch baby birds should wash their hands with warm soap and water for at least 20 seconds after that contact. So this week if you are tempted with the thought of bringing home a live bird for Easter, keep in mind that extreme caution should be taken. And remember, the novelty soon wears off and the chicks do grow up. But if you do decide to bring one home, Gaffga has one other bit of advice. GAFFGA: The one other recommendation that we have is that items such as clothes and tables and floors and bathtubs that the birds might have contact with should also be considered to be contaminated with salmonella until they're properly washed. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.