Quantcast
Published On: Sat, Dec 8th, 2012

Illegal ‘small’ turtles the source of six multistate salmonella outbreaks

Image/CDC

The multistate salmonella outbreak linked to tiny turtles has increased both in numbers and in geography according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) update Dec.6.

According to the latest numbers, a total of 248 persons infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Sandiego, Salmonella Pomona, and Salmonella Poona have been reported from 34 states. Of this number, 41 people required hospitalization for their illness.

There are currently six ongoing multistate outbreaks.

Seven out of 10 ill persons are children 10 years of age or younger, and 33% of ill persons are children 1 year of age or younger.

In 1975, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the commercial sales of turtles of less than 4 inches in this country. More than 90% of reptiles are asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella.

The CDC offers the following advice to the public concerning small turtles:

· Do not purchase turtles with a shell length of less than 4 inches in size.

· Do not give turtles with a shell length of less than 4 inches in size as gifts.

· Keep turtles out of homes with children younger than 5 years old, elderly persons, or people with weakened immune systems.

· Turtles and other reptiles should not be kept in child care centers, schools, or other facilities with children younger than 5 years old.

· Contact with other reptiles (snakes and lizards) and amphibians (frogs and toads) can also be a source of human Salmonella infections. If you or a child has contact with an amphibian or reptile, or their water or habitat, wash your hands thoroughly. Supervise the handwashing of the child to ensure they do a good job.

· If you buy a turtle, make sure the shell length is greater than 4 inches.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Turtles as Pets

For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page

“Many people don’t know that turtles and other reptiles can carry harmful germs that can make people very sick. For this reason, turtles and other reptiles might not be the best pets for your family, especially if there are children 5-years-old and younger or people with weakened immune systems living in your home.” -Casey Barton Behravesh DVM, DrPH, Deputy Branch Chief, Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

On the DISPATCH: Headlines  Local  Opinion

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd ) [ALL INFO CONFIDENTIAL]

About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

Displaying 4 Comments
Have Your Say
  1. Florida is one of 16 states affected by Crested gecko salmonella outbreak | Outbreak News Today says:

    […] Related: Illegal ‘small’ turtles the source of six multistate salmonella outbreaks […]

  2. Salmonella outbreak linked to baby chicks reported in South Dakota - The Global Dispatch says:

    […] source of the outbreaks covered a wide gamut to include small turtles, dry dog food, live poultry (chicks), ground beef, cantaloupe, hedgehogs and peanut butter last […]

  3. Two new salmonella outbreaks tied to tiny turtles brings the total infected to 347 - The Global Dispatch says:

    […] a follow up to a December report on the multistate salmonella outbreaks linked to “tiny” turtles, the Centers for […]

  4. Outbreaks in the United States 2012: A year in review - The Global Dispatch says:

    […] source of the outbreaks covered a wide gamut to include small turtles, dry dog food, live poultry (chicks), ground beef, cantaloupe, hedgehogs and peanut butter this […]

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

like_us_on_facebook

 

The Global Dispatch Facebook page- click here

Movie News Facebook page - click here

Television News Facebook page - click here

Weird News Facebook page - click here 

DISPATCH RADIO

dispatch_radio

THE BRANDON JONES SHOW

brandon_jones_show-logo

Archives