Several European countries have been affected by a fatal outbreak of psittacosis, also known as parrot fever, according to media reports.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded an increase in cases, including five deaths, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and The Netherlands. Contact with infected birds is the main cause of the infection.
There has been a noticeable rise in psittacosis instances in 2023 and early 2024, especially after November and December of 2023.
The respiratory illness known as parrot fever, or pustacosis, is brought on by the bacteria Chlamydophila psittaci, which is frequently present in parrots.
People who work with pet birds, poultry, veterinarians, and gardeners in places where there are diseased bird populations are among those who can contract the virus from infected birds.
The impacted nations have started epidemiological studies in an effort to find possible exposure sources and case clusters. To find out how common C. psittaci is, samples from wild birds are analyzed.
Based on the facts at hand, WHO continues to monitor the situation and rates the risk as low.
Psittacosis symptoms and treatments
Symptoms of pittacosis include chills, fever, headache, sore muscles, and dry cough. Most patients start showing symptoms 5 to 14 days after being exposed to the bacteria, according to the WHO.
Antibiotic therapy started as soon as possible works well and helps prevent problems like pneumonia. Less than 1 in 100 instances of psittacosis result in death when treated with the right antibiotics.
The WHO noted that there was little chance of human-to-human transmission, even though some instances resulted in pneumonia and hospitalization. An accurate diagnosis combined with antibiotic therapy can effectively control the illness.
Based on available data, WHO has continued to retain a low-risk classification.
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