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ATLANTA (CBS Local) – With Halloween right around the corner, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking for owners of these domestic animals this year.
The warning may sound like a joke, but it is quite serious.
The Atlanta-based CDC says costumed chickens out for a night of trick-or-treating the risk of infecting people with a particular potent strain of salmonella.
Since January, at least 92 people in 29 states have been infected after coming into contact with raw chicken products. 21 of the sick patients have been hospitalized, although no deaths have been reported.
Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Lab results from the CDC show the strain is at least 13 antibiotics used to treat the infection.
"Live poultry might have Salmonella germs in their droppings and on their bodies (feathers, feet, and beaks), even when they appear healthy and clean," the CDC said in a statement.
The CDC also urges you to kiss the birds or sniffle them and wash your hands with soap and water.
Despite the warning, some chicken owners said they are not about to leave home on the big night.
"They're a part of my family," said Stephanie Morse of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, told KNOE.
It's just about hand hygiene. After you touch them, when you go inside, make sure you just go where you say, "she says.
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