United States: People of European countries have recently been dealing with a deadly outbreak of psittacosis, commonly known as parrot fever. The disease increased the concerns and worries of the experts after the deaths of several people were reported in several countries of the European region.
The stats regarding the new outbreak were shared by the World Health Organization (WHO), abbreviated as WHO, on Tuesday.
Accordingly, the outbreak was reported in 2023 and has continued till the starting of 2024. The reports have suggested that five (5) people have succumbed to parrot fever.
How do experts explain parrot fever?
The cause of parrot fever is a bacteria from the Chlamydia family. The disease is quite common among a variety of wild and pet birds and poultry. The experts have mentioned that the symptoms of the disease are not always shown by an infected bird, but they do shed the bacteria when they breathe or poop.
Is this new outbreak a concern for the United States?
The experts have outlined that, as of now, the bacteria is not a threat for the general public of the United States but in upcoming future the nation might report a case related to the infection.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have addressed the disease and informed that the infection can commonly spread among humans. Accordingly, the infection can be transferred by breathing in the dust from an infected bird’s secretions. Along with this, another mode through which the disease can be transmitted is if an infected bird bites or through beak-to-mouth contact.
However, it also mentioned that as of now there are no reports which suggest that the infection could spread through eating infected animals. In addition to this, the health agencies have noted that the transmission of the disease from one human to another human is rare, but possible.
Latest parrot fever cases!
According to the reports shared by WHO, in recent cases, the disease spread after exposure to domesticated or wild birds – which were infected with the bacteria.
Parrot fever in humans –
In most of the cases in humans, the infection is mild. The symptoms of the disease starts appearing within five to 14 days of exposure. The disease can be cured with the help of certain antibiotics but is rarely fatal for humans.
Some of the common signs and symptoms experienced by infected humans are muscle pain, headache, fever and chills as well as muscle pain.
Parrot fever cases across Europe!
The cases linked to the bacteria are widely reported across the world.
Austria generally reports two cases of the disease each year, but in 2023, it reports 14 confirmed cases, and in 2024, as of March, four (4) more cases have been added to the list.
Denmark reports around 15 to 30 cases of parrot fever in humans every year. In 2024, as of late February, the nation has registered confirmed 23 cases. Out of the total, 17 had a severe infection and were hospitalized, 15 were infected with pneumonia, and four lost their lives to bacteria.
Germany reported around 14 confirmed cases of parrot fever in 2023 and additional five (5) cases of the infection were reported during the ongoing year. The health experts have mentioned that all the people has pneumonia and 16 are seeking treatment in the hospital.
Sweden has been reporting a continuous increase in the number of parrot fever cases since the year 2017. A high number of cases are reported during late November and early December. Meanwhile, during the beginning of this year, the nation has reported around 13 cases.
The Netherlands reported around 21 cases from late December to late February. The number of cases are twice as compared to the same period in previous years. Generally, the nation reports nine (9) cases in a year.