In a note published Tuesday March 5, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of an increase in cases of psittacosis in Europe. This bacterial infection, also called “parrot fever” or “ornithosis”, is transmitted to humans by wild or pet birds or poultry. In recent months, dozens of patients have been identified in different countries and five deaths have been reported.
A generally benign illness
Psittacosis is caused by bacteria from the Chlamydia family. The disease can be contracted after contact with the excrement of contaminated birds, with their feathers or through their breath. It is associated with more than 450 avian species but has also been observed in dogs, cats, horses and ruminants, recalls the WHO. The infection is usually characterized by fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and dry cough.
If the disease is considered benign (less than 1 fatal case in 100) and can be treated with antibiotics, the World Health Organization is warning of an increase in deaths in recent months, following pneumonia. In February 2024, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands reported an abnormal number of psittacosis in the population. Most are linked to contact with wild or domestic birds. In certain regions, clusters have emerged.
Four deaths in Denmark
In detail, Austria declared 14 cases in 2023 and already 4 as of March 4, 2024. In Denmark, 23 people were diagnosed between the end of 2023 and February 27, 2024: 17 patients were hospitalized and 15 of them were developed pneumonia. Four of these patients did not survive.
Germany reported 14 confirmed cases in 2023 and 5 more as of February 20, 2024. Almost all patients had pneumonia and only a portion of them had contact with domestic animals such as parrots, chickens or pigeons. In Sweden, 7 cases were noted in November 2023, 19 in December 2023, 10 in January 2024 and 3 in February 2024. Finally, a resident of the Netherlands died after being hospitalized. He was one of the 21 positive people identified between December 2023 and February 2024, “twice as much as during the same period in previous years”indicates the WHO.
No transmission between humans
According to the organization, psittacosis is usually associated “to people who work with pet birds, poultry farmers, veterinarians, pet bird owners and gardeners”. For the WHO, the risk of spread to other countries is low, although it does not rule out the possibility of contaminated wild birds crossing borders.
“In general, people do not transmit the bacteria that causes psittacosis to other people, so there is a low probability of human-to-human transmission of the disease.”, also estimates the agency. But at the same time it ensures that it closely monitors the evolution of the epidemic and in particular the epidemiological investigations linked to samples taken from patients. The WHO calls on doctors to be vigilant and advises people in contact with birds to be impeccable with hygiene. Especially since psittacosis does not cause visible clinical signs in birds.