Salmonella outbreak hits Washington state
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 3 months AGO
The Washington Department of Health is urging people to take precautions when handling poultry in the wake of a salmonella outbreak.
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Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | June 2, 2023 9:01 PM
OLYMPIA — An outbreak of salmonella has sickened 13 people in Washington state, one of them in Grant County, according to a statement from the Washington State Department of Health.
This is part of a nationwide outbreak that has sickened 104 people in 31 states, the statement said. In Washington, four people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported, it said.
Salmonella is a bacteria that can be found in poultry manure which can make people sick, the statement said. Backyard poultry, like chickens and ducks, can carry salmonella even if they look healthy and clean. The bacteria can easily spread to cages, coops, hay, plants, and soil in the area where they live. You can get sick from salmonella by touching your mouth or food with unwashed hands, the DOH wrote.
“If you have a backyard flock, take steps to protect yourself and your family from salmonella infection,” Washington State Chief Science Officer Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett wrote in the statement. “Always wash your hands with soap and water after you've touched poultry, or soil or objects they’ve had contact with.”
People infected with salmonella usually become sick one to three days after exposure, the statement said. Symptoms include diarrhea that can be bloody, fever, chills, stomach cramps and occasionally vomiting. Most people recover within four to seven days without treatment. However, some people may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization. Children under five, adults over 65, and those with weakened immune systems are most likely to get severely sick from salmonella and should avoid handling backyard poultry or anything in the environments where poultry live or roam.
To avoid infection and protect your flock, the DOH urges these prevention steps:
• Wash your hands with soap and running water after touching backyard poultry or anything where they live and roam.
• Don’t kiss or snuggle poultry.
• Don’t eat or drink around your poultry.
• Keep poultry and the supplies you use to care for them outside of your home.
• Supervise children around birds; children younger than five should not touch birds.
• Separate your flock from wildlife.
• Practice good biosecurity.
• Safely handle, cook and store eggs.
More information on staying healthy while caring for backyard poultry can be found at https://bit.ly/43Hhbuo.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.