Salmonella anyone? Looks like the country’s largest source of salmonella infections comes from personal poultry.
From tainted pre-cut melons to pig-ear dog treats, there’s been a slew of recalls this year due to outbreaks of salmonella infections. Yet by far the biggest source of the bacteria hasn’t involved a recall at all. It stems from backyard flocks, the growing trend of raising chickens and other poultry for eggs and companionship.
What kind of sick-pup lightweight keeps chickens for companionship? Eggs, meat, compost, manure, bug control, and a back-up alarm clock, OK. But companionship? That’s some kind of seriously anti-social tic.
Especially troubling is nearly a quarter, or 24%, of the illnesses involve kids. This year, there are “156 children under the age of five that have come into contact with poultry and gotten sick,” Nichols said. “Young kids are more likely to kiss, cuddle or snuggle with poultry and then may not wash their hands as thoroughly,” she explained.
Jeez, what disgusting dirty child abusers! Anyone who’s watched chickens scratch and eat knows they’re the original Dirty Birds, and keeps their kids from using them as cuddly playtoys. Amazing to see such backwoods trash behavior pop up in folks who ought to know better.
The Home for Wayward Statisticians 