---

by KOMO News StaffFriday, June 10th 2022

https://komonews.com/news/local/salmonella-outbreak-linked-to-backyard-poultry-in-washington-state

FILE – In this Oct. 21, 2015, file photo, cage-free chickens walk in a fenced pasture at an organic farm near Waukon, Iowa. Some farmers are wondering if it’s OK that eggs sold as free-range come from chickens being kept inside. It’s a question that arises lately as farmers try to be open about their product while also protecting chickens from a highly infectious bird flu that has killed roughly 28 million poultry across the country. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Health says it is working with local and federal health officials to investigate a multi-state Salmonella outbreak that has sickened nearly a dozen people in Washington.

DOH says the 11 cases of Salmonella in Washington residents are linked to backyard poultry in Pierce, Kitsap, Snohomish, Lincoln, King, Yakima, and Lewis counties. It’s part of a nationwide outbreak that has sickened 219 people in 38 states.

State health officials say two of the 11 people in Washington have been hospitalized and all of them reported recently purchasing young chicks or ducklings.

Backyard poultry, such as chickens and ducks, can carry Salmonella germs even if they look healthy and clean. The Department of Health says Salmonella germs are spread by touching backyard poultry or anything in the areas where they live and roam and then touching your mouth or food with unwashed hands.