Sparrowhawk on a bush/GettyImages
The World Health Organization says cases of psittacosis - also known as parrot fever - are increasing in Europe, and at least five people have died in an outbreak that began last year.
The World Health Organization reports that unusual numbers of cases have been reported in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands, with most cases linked to exposure to wild or domestic birds.
The infection is caused by bacteria from the chlamydia family, reports CNN.
People can become infected by breathing the dust of dried droppings or the secretions of infected birds.
People can also get sick if a bird bites them or from cold-to-mouth contact.
The disease is not spread by eating infected animals.
Person-to-person transmission is rare but not unheard of.
What are the symptoms?
According to the CDC, symptoms in humans include fever and chills, headache, muscle aches and a dry cough, and usually begin within 5 to 14 days of exposure.
In birds, symptoms include poor appetite, inflamed eyes, difficulty breathing and diarrhea, but not all infected birds show symptoms.
The World Health Organization recommends increasing awareness of parrot fever among doctors - and bird owners.
It was said that bird owners should be encouraged to practice hand hygiene and "keep cages clean, place cages so that droppings cannot spread between them, and avoid cages that are too crowded."
What is the situation in Europe now?
Austria, which typically sees two cases of the disease each year, reported 14 confirmed cases in 2023 and four more this year, as of March 4.
The cases are unrelated, and none of the individuals reported traveling abroad or coming into contact with wild birds.
Denmark typically sees 15 to 30 human cases each year, most of which result from exposure to pet birds or hobby birds such as racing pigeons. There are 23 confirmed cases of this outbreak as of Feb. 27, but public health officials there suspect the number of cases is actually much higher, the World Health Organization said. Of those cases, 17 people were hospitalized; 15 had pneumonia, and four died.
More on the same topic:
parrots
fever