The CDC reports that an outbreak of Salmonella infections from small turtles has impacted 21 states and appears to be growing. The outbreak has already sickened 51 people with 23 being so sick that they had to be admitted to hospitals. So far the sick people have developed infections from two types of Salmonella, Salmonella Stanley and Salmonella Poona, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The age range for patients in this outbreak is from less than 1 year old to 78 years old with a median age of 8. Thirty-five percent of the patients are younger than 5 years old and 20 percent are less than 1 year old. Children are much more likely than adults to develop serious illnesses when exposed to Salmonella.
“The true number of sick people in an outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” according to the CDC. “This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
” For every outbreak patient diagnosed there are 29 who go uncounted, according to the CDC. The implicated turtles are small, with shells less than four inches long. Such turtles are know to be contaminated with Salmonella.
Federal law bans the sale and distribution of these turtles as pets. State and local public health officials a.