A salmonella outbreak linked to reptiles has left one person dead and three others hospitalized in Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada said at least 25 people have been infected across seven provinces in this outbreak, which is the second one linked to geckos this year. Cases have been reported in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Many of the individuals who became sick reported having direct or indirect contact with geckos, or the environments where these pets are kept, before their illnesses occurred,” PHAC said in a public health notice Friday. “Some people who became sick did not touch or handle the geckos themselves, but lived in the same house where they were kept.” The illnesses occurred between August 2020 and September 2024.
Most of the people infected were females (64 per cent) and in the age range 1 to 103. An investigation into the outbreak is ongoing and PHAC said that the number of cases is likely higher than what has been reported so far. Salmonella is a bacterial infection commonly transmitted through contaminated food and water and it poses a significant health threat, especially to children and older adults, as it can lead to severe gastrointestinal symptoms, dehydration, and, in extreme cases, death.
People can also get sick with salmonella infection by directly touching reptiles or their environments, as well as through indirect contact by touching contaminated surfaces where t.