The Erie County Health Department (PA) was cited as saying two children, both younger than 5, got salmonella poisoning from a pet lizard. One had to be hospitalized in early April, but both have fully recovered.

Health officials say the children likely put their hands in their mouths after touching the lizards, without first washing their hands.

The U-S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 70-thousand people get salmonella poisoning from contact with reptiles each year.