The latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that, as of Aug. 5, 300 people from 42 states and Puerto Rico have been reported to be infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Newport or Salmonella Hadar. Since the last CDC update on June 27, 2014, a total of 49 new ill persons have been reported from Alabama (2), Arizona (1), Colorado (1), Georgia (3), Idaho (2), Iowa (1), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (3), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), New York (3), North Carolina (1), Ohio (3), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (4), Puerto Rico (1), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (3), Vermont (1), Virginia (8), Washington (1) and West Virginia (4). Among those who reported the date they became ill, illnesses began between Feb. 3, 2014, and July 10, 2014. Ill persons range in age from younger than 1 year to 95 years, with the median age being 28 years. Thirty-seven percent of ill persons are 10 years of age or younger. Fifty-four percent of ill persons are female. CDC noted that llnesses that occurred after July 8, 2014, might not yet be reported due to the average time of two to four weeks it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. No deaths have been reported to date, CDC noted. However, 31 percent of those sickened have been hospitalized. CDC reported that epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback findings have linked this outbreak of human Salmonella infections to contact with chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry from Mt. Healthy Hatcheries in Ohio. Of those sickened, CDC stated that 80 percent had had contact with live poultry the week before their illness began. The agency noted that Mt. Healthy Hatcheries is the same mail-order hatchery that has been associated with multiple outbreaks of Salmonella infections in the past linked to live poultry. CDC’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) laboratory tested for antibiotic resistance Salmonella isolates collected from 11 of those sickened. Two were resistant to one or more antibiotics and nine were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Mail-order hatcheries, agricultural feed stores and other who sell or display chicks, ducklings or other live poultry should provide information to owners of such poultry and potential buyers of the birds before selling them, CDC stated. This health-related material should include information about the possibility of contracting a Salmonella infection from handling live poultry. Those who keep live poultry or are around them should protect themselves by washing their hands with soap and water immediately after contact with live poultry (or anything else in areas where the birds live and roam) and not allowing any live poultry inside their house. More consumer advice can be found here.