Public warned over fatal salmonella outbreak linked to snakes and rodents

One person has died and 10 taken to hospital amid a salmonella outbreak across Canada linked to snakes and rodents.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said that, as of Tuesday, it has confirmed 70 cases of the infection in eight provinces.

Three of them are in British Columbia.

“Many of the individuals who became sick reported direct or indirect contact with snakes and feeder rodents (used as reptile food) before their illnesses occurred,” PHAC said in a public notice issued Tuesday.

“Some people who became sick did not touch or handle the snakes or feeder rodents themselves, but lived in the same house where they were kept.”

PHAC said a common supplier of snakes or rodents has not been identified.

It warned the public to practise “good hand hygiene and frequent handwashing after contact with snakes, feeder rodents and their environments.”

Those affected became ill between February 2022 and February 2024, PHAC explained.

Just under a fifth of people who became ill with salmonella were five years old or younger.

PHAC said symptoms typically start six to 72 hours after exposure to salmonella bacteria and usually last for four to seven days.

Symptoms may include:

• fever

• chills

• nausea

• vomiting

• diarrhea

• headache

• abdominal cramps

“Most people who become ill from a salmonella infection will recover fully after a few days without treatment, but it can also cause severe illness and hospitalization,” the agency said.

Read the full notice here.