Baby chicks may come with salmonella

Giving a baby chick as an Easter gift to children could also carry the gift of salmonella poisoning.

Health officials warned Thursday about giving the popular gift.

Last year, three salmonella outbreaks were linked to several hatcheries across the country, including one in Washington.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, more than 80 people were sickened in 2006 after being exposed to baby poultry bought at agricultural feed stores.

The report showed the Washington hatchery, one of the sources for the baby poultry, was also a source of salmonella outbreaks in 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

A CDC official said Thursday she could not release the name of the specific hatchery. Salmonella outbreaks connected to baby chicks also were reported in Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio.

Baby poultry such as chickens and ducks easily spread salmonella, which is carried inside their intestines, and causes fever, stomach ache and diarrhea. Children are exposed to the bacteria by holding the birds, then touching their mouths or faces. But some people have been contaminated at petting zoos simply from leaning on a fence, said Ron Wohrle, environmental veterinarian for the Washington Department of Health.

"Kids are not immune-developed and it's best for them not to handle ducklings and chicks," he said. "You have to assume they're risky and parents need to make sure kids wash their hands whether they have touched the birds or not."

Wohrle said there is an increase in salmonella cases during the Easter season and more children are probably exposed to the bacteria than reported.

The CDC estimates there are 1.4 million salmonella infections each year, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Just how many are from contact with baby poultry is unknown.

Washington Department of Health is urging feed stores to display warnings and give educational materials to those buying baby poultry, but it is not mandatory. The CDC recommends that no one purchase live animals as Easter gifts.

Wohrle suggested giving alternative gifts for Easter instead of risking possible salmonella infection.

"Any of those fuzzy warm creatures that are cute -- stay away," he said. "Give stuffed animals, they're still cute and you get a lot more mileage out of them."

For more information about the health risks posed by contact with baby poultry www.cdc.gov/healthypets/easter_chicks.htm