--- title: CDC: Hugging Chickens Increases Salmonella Risk description: Hugging, kissing or snuggling chickens and other birds could lead to salmonella infections, according to a new CDC report. canonical: https://time.com/4808992/cdc-chickens-salmonella/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-07T17:23:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T05:18:21.407Z article:section: Health og:title: Why You Really Shouldn't Hug Chickens og:description: It could lead to salmonella og:url: https://time.com/4808992/cdc-chickens-salmonella/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt636233cde680c44d/6988d0a497cdffd1056b1138/backyard-chicken-salmonella.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 7: Mark Vershell and his backyard chi og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why You Really Shouldn't Hug Chickens twitter:description: It could lead to salmonella twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt636233cde680c44d/6988d0a497cdffd1056b1138/backyard-chicken-salmonella.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why You Really Shouldn't Hug Chickens > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jun 7, 2017 5:23 PM UTC  Mark Vershell and his backyard chickens in Takoma Park, Md. Mark Vershell and his backyard chickens in Takoma Park, Md. The Washington Post—The Washington Post/Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jun 7, 2017 5:23 PM UTC Hugging, kissing or snuggling chickens and other birds could lead to [salmonella infections](http://time.com/4726827/hunts-chili-kits-recalled-salmonella/), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a report published in June, the CDC links a [multi-state outbreak of salmonella](http://time.com/4184466/trader-joes-cashew-recall-salmonella/) to human contact with live poultry that live in backyards. From January to May 2017, 372 people have been infected with salmonella from 47 states. Of those infected, 71 people have been hospitalized; 36% of them are children younger than the age of 5. According to the [CDC’s research](https://www.cdc.gov/features/salmonellapoultry/index.html), the salmonella outbreaks came after people handled live poultry, such as chicks and ducklings. Of 228 infected people, 190 said they had contact with live poultry about a week before they saw salmonella symptoms. Now the CDC advises that people always wash their hands after any physical contact with chickens, ducks and other live poultry that are popular backyard pets. 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