The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday issued new guidelines with regard to how to protect oneself from getting salmonella amid information that 163 people became ill in 43 states after contact with backyard poultry.
Among other advice like washing hands after contact with fowl and to keep your birds outside of the house, as well as supervise kids in contact with birds, there is an additional recommendation not to kiss or snuggle the poultry.
"Don’t kiss or snuggle backyard poultry, and don’t eat or drink around them," the CDC said. "This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick."
This particular guideline was the one that raised some eyebrows online and prompted laughter among netizens, with many jokingly expressing outrage or offering other advice one could not possibly imagine to hear.
Good lord?!?!? Now we are the country that has to be told not to snuggle with live chickens???
— Michael Peroff (@michaelperoff) May 21, 2021
Next, we are gonna need warnings not to iron pants while wearing them...
Oh, wait...
Damn. My chicken insists on foreplay.
— Matt B (@holierthansome) May 20, 2021
Is choking my chicken still OK?
— Basil Valentine (@BasilXValentine) May 20, 2021
"Don't eat lead paint chips"
— @EVDebs 💉 (@EugeneDebbsJ) May 20, 2021
"Don't drink gasoline"
"Keep the door closed on the Space Station'.
Things that really don't need to be said.
wow what was the point of even getting vaccinated then
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) May 20, 2021
1984
— shoe (@shoe0nhead) May 21, 2021
Some, however, apparently felt rebellious - one could only hope jokingly.
Normally I'm all "follow the science" but in this case I'll take my chances pic.twitter.com/7mX8zF2tHW
— Josiah Grindrod (@JT_Grindrod) May 20, 2021
According to the CDC, there were no fatalities among the recent salmonella cases, and one-third of the cases were children under 5 years old. The agency noted that kids are more likely to get sick from germs like salmonella.
