chicks-and-ducklings-23441280233307cwnJ.jpgA total of 123 persons infected with outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Newport, and Salmonella Lille have been reported from 25 states.

The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (4), Delaware (1), Georgia (5), Illinois (1), Indiana (3), Kansas (1), Kentucky (5), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Maine (3), Michigan (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (1), New York (16), North Carolina (12), Ohio (30), Pennsylvania (10), Rhode Island (1), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (8), Texas (2), Vermont (1), Virginia (6), and West Virginia (7).

26 ill persons have been hospitalized. One death has been reported in New York, but it is unclear whether infection contributed to this death.

36% of ill persons are children 10 years of age or younger.

Epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback findings have linked this outbreak of human Salmonella infections to exposure to chicks and ducklings from Mt. Healthy Hatchery in Ohio. This is the same mail-order hatchery that was associated with the 2011 outbreak of Salmonella Altona and Salmonella Johannesburg infections. In May 2012, veterinarians from the Ohio Department of Agriculture inspected the mail-order hatchery and made recommendations for improvement.