In general, being affectionate with an animal that you’ve been raising is normal behaviour. It may accompany you in your worst moments, it can offer you food, amuse you often, and more. A chicken can do pretty much the same things, but there are some strong reasons why you should avoid kissing and snuggling your animal.
Gizmodo.com reminds us that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has been warning people that contact with chickens can get us sick with the Salmonella bacteria. Furthermore, hugging or kissing your animal can result in some unwanted symptoms kicking in (bloody diarrhoea, fever, vomiting). In some rare cases, the Salmonella bacteria can even kill the patient.
Salmonella infections are on the rise
As the CDC revealed within an updated investigation notice, the number of Salmonella infections has increased to 464 cases across 46 states, from just 163 that were reported back in May. One hundred three patients were hospitalised as a result of the infections, and one person passed away.
The CDC also said, as cited by Gizmodo:
Backyard poultry, like chicken and ducks, can carry Salmonella germs even if they look healthy and clean. These germs can easily spread to anything in the areas where the poultry live and roam,
You can get sick from touching your backyard poultry or anything in their environment and then touching your mouth or food, and swallowing Salmonella germs.
The CDC reveals that one in three people who’ll get infected with Salmonella are kids. Therefore, many of us should try convincing the little ones to not get too affectionate with poultry.
But whether we like it or not, the CDC still has some worrying news to tell us, as it previously informed the public that every year in the United States, Salmonella causes roughly 1.35 million infections, 26,500 admissions in the hospitals, and 420 deaths.
