(CNN) — A deadly outbreak of psittacosis, a bacterial infection also known as parrot fever, has affected people living in several European countries, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
The eruption was initially detected in 2023 and continued until earlier this year. Five people were reported dead.
Parrot fever is caused by bacteria from the Chlamydia family, which is found in a variety of wild and pet birds and poultry. Infected birds don't always look sick, but they can shed the bacteria when they breathe or defecate.
Humans usually contract parrot fever by inhaling dust from the secretions of an infected bird. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . People can get sick from a bird bite or contact between beak and mouth. The disease is not spread by eating infected animals.
Person-to-person transmission It is possible But rarely, studies show. In more recent cases, people have been infected by domestic or wild birds, WHO said.
Most people who get bird flu have a mild illness 5 to 14 days after exposure to a sick bird and may include headache, muscle aches, dry cough, fever, and chills. Antibiotics can treat the infection and are rarely dangerous to humans.
Austria, which typically sees two cases of the disease each year, has reported 14 confirmed cases in 2023 and four cases this year as of March 4. The cases were unrelated and none of the people were reported to have traveled abroad or had contact with wild birds.
In Denmark, typically 15 to 30 human cases are reported each year, most resulting from exposure to hobby birds such as pets or carrier pigeons.
There are 23 confirmed cases as of February 27, but public health officials suspect the case number is actually higher. WHO said.
Of those Danish cases, 17 were hospitalized; 15 had pneumonia and four died.
At least one person in Denmark contracted bird flu from a pet bird. With information emerging in 15 other cases, 12 reported contact with wild birds primarily through bird feeders. In three cases, the patients had no history of contact with birds of any kind.
14 confirmed cases of bird flu in Germany in 2023 This year there were five more. Almost all the people suffered from pneumonia and 16 people were hospitalized.
Of the 19 cases in Germany, five reported exposure to sick birds or chickens.
The number of cases of bird flu in Sweden has increased since 2017.
An unusually high number of cases were reported in late November and on December 26. 13 cases have been reported this year, less than the number reported during the same period in the last five years.
Cases have also increased in the Netherlands, with 21 cases from the end of December to February 29, twice the number of cases in the same period in previous years, the WHO said. On average, there are nine cases a year in that country.
All of the recent Dutch cases have been hospitalized and one has died. Eight had no contact with birds, seven had contact with domestic bird remains, and six had contact with wild bird remains.
The WHO said it would continue to monitor the outbreak in collaboration with affected countries.
The organization encourages doctors to be aware of the infection and warns pet owners and workers who frequently come into contact with birds to use good hand hygiene.
The WHO advises people keeping birds as pets to keep cages clean and avoid overcrowding.
