COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Is investigating outbreaks of Salmonella in 47 states, including Ohio, connected to backyard flocks. 
 
 As of May 25, 372 people had been infected since Jan. 4. In Ohio, 32 cases were reported to the Ohio Department of Health between Jan. 4 and June 2, said Melanie Amato, public information officer for the department. 
 
 Ohio topped the list of states that reported illnesses, followed by Kentucky, Tennessee and California. 
 
 The outbreaks occurred in Lorain, Ashtabula, Erie and Geauga counties in Northeast Ohio, as well as counties in central and Southeast Ohio, Amato said. 
 
 There were no reports in Cuyahoga or other Northeast Ohio counties. 
 
 The CDC reported that across the nation, 71 illnesses have resulted in hospitalization, and no deaths have been reported. Ill people reported purchasing live baby poultry from feed supply stores, websites, hatcheries and other sources, the CDC said in a statement. 
 
 Salmonella lives in the intestinal tract of many different animals, and can also be passed from person to person. 
 
 The disease is spread by contact with infected chickens, ducks and other poultry. In humans, Salmonella causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, but doesn't cause symptoms in poultry. 
 
 "You feel yucky for a couple of days," Amato said. "Most symptoms go away on their own." 
 
 Salmonella tends to flourish in spring and summer as the warm weather allows the disease to flourish. Outbreaks resulting from contact with live poultry have increased in recent years as backyard flocks grow in popularity, the CDC said. 
 
 The CDC recommends these steps for the safe handling of backyard flocks: 
 
 Always wash your hands thoroughly after touching live poultry or anything in their pens. 
 
 Don't let chickens or ducks inside the house, on a deck or inside an outdoor kitchen where food is prepared. 
 
 Children younger than 5 years, adults older than 65, and people with weakened immune systems should not handle or touch chicks, ducklings, or other live poultry. 
 
 Don't hug or kiss chickens and ducks. 
 
 Don't take poultry equipment, such as cages or water containers, inside the house for cleaning. 
 
 If you collect eggs from your hens, follow safe handling tips: ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated / Source: NBC News By Maggie Fox 
 
 At least 60 people have been made sick and 31 are in the hospital after eating pre-cut melon contaminated with salmonella, federal health officials said Saturday. 
 
 The suspected cut melon products were sold in stores including Costco, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Walgreens and Whole Foods in eight states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. 
 
 They are all linked to the the Caito Foods facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, the CDC said. The company has recalled the melon. 
 
 “Recalled products were distributed to Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio,” the CDC said. 
 
 People should not eat the recalled cut melon or fruit salad products, the CDC said. 
 
 “Check your fridge and freezer for them and throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund,” the CDC said. 
 
 “If you don’t remember where you bought pre-cut melon, don’t eat it and throw it away.” 
 
 It’s likely more cases will turn up, the CDC said. It can take days or weeks for food-borne illnesses to get reported. So far, people have been reported ill in five states. 
 
 Separately, the CDC is reporting an outbreak of salmonella linked to backyard chickens that had made 124 people in 36 states sick. The CDC says 21 people have been hospitalized. A third of the cases are in children under the age of 5. 
 
 Backyard chickens and chicks are a common source of salmonella. 
 
 “The people who got sick reported getting chicks and ducklings from places such as feed supply stores, websites, hatcheries, and from relatives,” the CDC said. 
 
 “People can get sick from salmonella from touching live poultry or their environment. Birds carrying the bacteria can appear healthy and clean,” it added. 
 
 “It’s important to always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in their environment. Don’t let children younger than 5 years handle or touch live poultry without adult supervision.” 
 
 Salmonella is a very common cause of food poisoning. Every year, it makes about 1.2 million people sick, puts 23,000 into the hospital and kills 450 people in the U.S. 
 
 It causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. ||||| Health officials urged consumers to cook chicken thoroughly and take other precautions after an 18-state salmonella outbreak that has made hundreds sick in recent months. 
 
 A public health alert was issued for raw chicken packaged at three Foster Farms facilities in California as some 278 people have fallen ill since strains of Salmonella Heidelberg were first detected in March, the United States Department of Agriculture said in a statement Monday. 
 
 The strains were associated with chicken distributed to retail outlets in California, Oregon and Washington state, the USDA said. The illnesses have been predominantly in California but the salmonella has reached people from 18 states, the statement said. 
 
 The outbreak appears to have begun in March and the USDA was notified of the illnesses in July, said Dan Engeljohn of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Investigators had a difficult time pinpointing the source of the illnesses, Englejohn said. 
 
 A spokesman for Foster Farms said no recall was in effect and that the infections were caused by eating chicken that was undercooked or improperly handled. The three facilities that packaged the chicken were all in California's Central Valley _ one in Livingston and two in Fresno. 
 
 The USDA has not directly linked the outbreak of illnesses to a specific product or production period. The USDA mark on suspect packages would read: P6137, P6137A and P7632. 
 
 State health officials were not planning a recall, but said it is essential that chicken be cooked to 165 degrees. 
 
 "This is the important public health issue," Anita Gore, spokeswoman for the California Department of Public Health. "Chicken can carry bacteria, and chicken needs to be fully cooked." 
 
 Gore also said people need to thoroughly wash their hands after handling raw meat, and anyone who believes they were infected and is showing symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal cramps should contact doctors immediately. 
 
 Salmonella is a pathogen that contaminates meat during slaughter and processing, and is especially common in undercooked chicken. 
 
 The Centers for Disease Control, which monitors the microbes that signal multi-state outbreaks of food poisoning, was working with a barebones staff because of the federal government shutdown, with all but two of the 80 staffers that normally analyze foodborne pathogens furloughed. It was not immediately clear whether the shortage affected the response to the salmonella outbreak.
– The CDC is investigating eight separate multi-state outbreaks of salmonella that have sickened nearly 400 people across the country. The cause, however, isn't an unsanitary factory. Instead, blame backyard chickens, or at least owners who underestimate the risk of getting too close, reports the Fresno Bee. The growing popularity of having a home-grown source of eggs once again has federal officials issuing a warning. This year's numbers are about on par with last year's, when 895 people got sick. While three people died last year, none have died this year, though 71 have ended up in the hospital. In all, people in 47 states have fallen ill. Cuddling cute baby chicks appears to be a problem, notes the Washington Post. Last year, about half of those who got sick admitted to doing so, and about half also said they let their poultry in the house. Health officials say both practices are seriously unwise, given how easily chickens can spread germs. The hardest-hit state is Ohio, at 32 cases, with Kentucky, Tennessee, and California not far behind, reports Cleveland.com. “Chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry that look healthy and clean can still carry Salmonella bacteria,” says the CDC, which offers a fact sheet on best practices here. (Salmonella is no joke—just ask the Aztecs.)