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Stop kissing your hedgehog, US authorities plead as more and more Americans have contracted salmonella for them to snuggle up against their pungent friends.
- Six other people contracted salmonella from their hedgehog
- This brings the total workload to 17 in three states, according to the CDC
- CDC warns people against cuddly hedgehogs since October – to no avail
By Mia De Graaf Health Editor For Dailymail.com
published: 6:20 pm EDT, March 29, 2019 | Update: 6:43 pm EDT, March 29, 2019
More and more people became sick after kissing and being huddled against their hedgehogs, warned the CDC.
Six more people were added to the task force this week during an epidemic in several states that sickened 17 people in Iowa, Virginia, and Washington State.
Two people were hospitalized but none died. About one-third of those affected are children.
Authorities are trying to persuade Americans not to snuggle against hedgehogs since the start of the outbreak in October, but the new report suggests that their efforts have been unsuccessful.
Many Americans simply can not resist pet hedgehogs, says CDC
"Do not kiss or calm hedgehogs, as this could spread Salmonella germs to your face and mouth and make you sick," the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said bluntly.
"Do not let hedgehogs roam freely in food preparation or storage areas, such as kitchens."
Officials warned hedgehogs that they could spread salmonella through the stool. Given their mbad of thorns, it is easy for hedgehog droppings to get stuck and linger.
The CDC takes the epidemic very seriously and has launched an investigation to determine whether the offending hedgehogs were somehow linked.
Until now, no common provider of hedgehogs in this epidemic has been identified. Sick people have reported buying hedgehogs from a variety of sources, including pet shops, ranchers and online, "the agency said.
They added: "This investigation is in progress".
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