The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) issued a warning on Saturday after detecting 40 cases of salmonellosis in the country, including 21 in Quebec.
In total, six provinces are affected by an outbreak of salmonella infections: Manitoba (1 case), Ontario (14 cases), Quebec (21 cases), New Brunswick (1 case), Nova Scotia (2 cases) and Prince Edward Island.
PHAC said the cases were identified between July 2020 and September 2023. “Thirteen people were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. The age of the sick people was between 0 and 91 years. Almost half (43%) of cases affect children aged 5 years or younger. “About half of the cases (53%) are female,” the federal agency emphasized.
According to health authorities, two causes could be responsible for this salmonellosis outbreak. First, some cases could be due to exposure to raw pet foods. “Some of the sick people reported exposure to raw pet food or dogs fed raw food before the onset of their illness,” it said.
In other cases, the bacteria was transmitted through contact with cattle, particularly calves, according to PHAC.
Keep in mind that it is not recommended to feed your pet raw meat due to the risk of contamination with Salmonella or E. coli bacteria from infected foods and animals.
Here are the symptoms of salmonellosis
– Fever
– Chills
– nausea
– Vomiting
– Diarrhea
– Headache
– Stomach cramps
Note that these symptoms can appear between 6 and 72 hours after exposure to Salmonella and usually last 4 to 7 days.