I have three chickens – two that lay eggs and one is just a pet.

I try hard to keep their house clean and leave my shoes outside and wash my hands after bing with the chickens and handling eggs.

Yet, a total of 97 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hadar have been reported from 28 states.

17 people (34% of those with information available) have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.

30% of ill people are children younger than 5 years of age.

Epidemiologic evidence shows that contact with backyard poultry (such as chicks and ducklings) is the likely source of this outbreak.In interviews, 38 (86%) of 44 ill people reported contact with chicks and ducklings.

People reported obtaining chicks and ducklings from several sources, including agricultural stores, websites, and hatcheries.