Science AMA Series: I’m Dr. Megin Nichols, a veterinary epidemiologist
with the CDC’s Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch. Today I’m here
to talk with you about Salmonella and backyard flocks. AMA!
Abstract
Hello Reddit! I am excited to talk with you today. I’m Dr. Megin Nichols
and I’m a veterinary epidemiologist at CDC. I work on multistate
outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli infections that come from exposure
to animals or animal products. I’ve worked on outbreaks of illnesses
linked to backyard flocks, petting zoos, small turtles, livestock, and
even puppies! In 2017, we saw the largest number of Salmonella
infections from contact with chickens and ducks in backyard flocks.
There were over 1,000 illnesses, and those are just the ones reported to
us. For every one person with Salmonella infection we identify as part
of these outbreaks, we estimate another 30 people are sick too. This
means in the US last year alone there might have been as many as 30,000
illnesses as a result of contact with live poultry! The good news is
there are simple prevention steps you can take to stay healthy and enjoy
your backyard flock. Ask me anything! I’ll be back at 1:00 p.m. EDT and
I’ll do my best to answer as many of your questions as I can. Additional
resources: · Visit CDC’s webpage on keeping backyard flocks:
https://www.cdc.gov/features/salmonellapoultry/index.html · Read up on
last year’s outbreaks:
https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/live-poultry-06-17/index.html · Find
additional information on keeping chickens, ducks, and other animals:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/farm-animals/backyard-poultry.html