One particular person is useless in an ongoing salmonella outbreak linked to contact with snakes and feeder rodents that started greater than two years in the past, Canada’s public well being company says.
There have been 10 hospitalizations and 70 confirmed instances throughout eight provinces – with almost half of these instances in Ontario – between February 2022 and February 2024.
“Most of the people who turned sick reported direct or oblique contact with snakes and feeder rodents (used as reptile meals) earlier than their sicknesses occurred,” the Public Well being Company of Canada wrote in a public discover Tuesday.
“Some individuals who turned sick didn’t contact or deal with the snakes or feeder rodents themselves, however lived in the identical home the place they have been stored.”
Instances have been recorded in Ontario (32), Quebec (11), Alberta (10), Saskatchewan (7), British Columbia (3), Manitoba (3), Newfoundland and Labrador (3), and New Brunswick (1).
13 instances are in kids 5 years or youthful.
PHAC has not mentioned which province the dying was recorded in however mentioned “provincial public well being companions have confirmed that salmonella was the reason for dying.”
The general public well being company provides it has but to establish a single frequent provider of snakes or feeder rodents.
“Salmonella sicknesses relationship again to 2022 have been brought on by the identical outbreak pressure because the sicknesses that occurred in 2023 and 2024,” it wrote.
A “collaborative” outbreak investigation started final spring due to a rise in reviews of salmonella sicknesses throughout Canada, PHAC provides.
Frequent handwashing after contact with snakes, feeder rodents, and their residing areas is an effective approach to forestall sickness, well being officers advocate.
“The outbreak is a reminder that salmonella micro organism will be discovered in lots of species of animals, together with snakes and feeder rodents.”
