Psittacosis is an
infectious
disease that affects numerous domestic and wild bird species, both parrots (parrots, parakeets, parakeets, and parrots) and non-psittacine (pigeons, goldfinches, and canaries).
At the same time, contagion in humans can cause serious complications, as in the case of Rafaela's family, Santa Fe, whose four members remain hospitalized with
bilateral pneumonia.
It is a pathology of
mandatory notification
by veterinarians and private laboratories or national organizations, such as INTA.
It can be
transmitted by birds
through dried droppings, respiratory secretions, dust, feathers, eye secretions and even by simply touching them.
Psittacosis is caused by the bacterium Chlamydophila psittaci.
When they get sick, the birds shed the bacteria into the environment through secretions that, when dried,
remain in the air and are breathed in by people,
who thus become infected.
Psittacosis is a disease that is transmitted through birds.
In Rafaela, two of the four inmates are in the Intensive Care Unit of the Jaime Ferré hospital -one of them in delicate condition-, while the other two occupy general clinic beds.
In areas such as the city of Santa Fe, where the presence of this type of bird is recorded, both in captivity and in the wild, the Ministry of Health of the Nation recommends, especially those who live with the birds, to pay attention to the appearance of respiratory symptoms, as well as
daily cleaning the cage in which the species live
and not staying for long periods in closed rooms where there are birds.
In addition,
it is not advisable to buy or take birds from the public road that could be potential
transmitters of the disease.
In the case of Rafaela, it turned out that one of the people said that a few days ago
they had found a parrot
that was apparently healthy and they took it to her house, although shortly after
the bird fell ill and died.
Picture and treatment
According to specialists, the clinical picture in people can vary between an
infection without apparent symptoms
or evolve into pneumonia, which begins with symptoms such as fever, headache, general weakness, fatigue and tiredness, while after 24 or 48 hours
dry cough and shortness of breath
begin .
Infected birds may be apparently healthy or show symptoms such as weakness, conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, respiratory distress and death.
For this reason, the authorities recommend that, when possible manifestations of psittacosis are detected in captive birds, a quick consultation with a veterinarian should be carried out.
This, in addition to preventing close contact with possibly infected birds,
activates an alert network
to prevent the spread of the disease.
The pictures can be more serious in
older people or those who suffer from comorbidities.
And the treatments with antibiotics, in which cases in which the infection did not lead to serious illness, are with administration of antibiotics for 14 days.
SC
look too
A family was infected with a parrot and there are four hospitalized for psittacosis in Rafaela
Alert in the Province for the outbreak of a bacterium in birds that has already caused pneumonia in people