Stop kissing chickens and ask US health officials

Faced with a recurrence of salmonellosis cases in the United States, health officials issued an enthusiastic recommendation: they asked citizens to stop kissing their chickens and other chickens.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the country’s leading federal public health agency, has been asked to “kiss or hug domestic chickens and not eat or drink near them.”

According to the CDC, the increase in salmonellosis cases is somewhat related to this behavior: 163 cases have been reported since mid-February, of which 34 cases have been hospitalized.

“Interviews with sick people. Contact with chickens can lead to infection,” they added.

Although they may look clean, the CDC warns that these types of animals, such as chickens and ducks, can carry the bacterium Salmonella, which causes diarrhea, fever and vomiting.

Officials recommended washing hands thoroughly after contact with chickens and encouraging them to play with them.

Infections are usually caused by eating contaminated eggs or dairy products. Tens of thousands of cases are reported each year, although they are rarely dangerous.