"It’s a seemingly harmless act: smooching a tiny turtle as it sits in the palm of your hand. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning animal lovers not to do it.
At least 26 people across 11 states have recently been infected in a salmonella outbreak linked to small turtles, the CDC said in a recent investigation notice. At least nine have been hospitalized.
“Don’t kiss or snuggle your turtle, and don’t eat or drink around it. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick,” the CDC warned, adding that turtles with shells less than four inches long are “a known source of illness.”
Salmonella is a potentially deadly bacteria that causes some 26,500 hospitalizations in the United States each year. It can be contracted through a variety of foods such as raw cookie dough, flour and meat, as well as animals and people-to-people contact. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and headaches, and they usually persist for about four to seven days."
Kelly Kasulis Cho reports for the Washington Post August 23, 2023.
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