Parrot fever kills 5 in Europe after outbreak: WHO

Five people have succumbed to Parrot fever in Europe after an uptick in infections has been observed since 2023. WHO reported that the rare bacterial infection can be found in a variety of wild and pet birds and poultry.

The disease does not spread through eating the infected animal and is usually transmitted by breathing in the dust from an infected bird’s secretions. The outbreak has been mostly observed in European countries like Austria, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

The symptoms of the disease include headaches, muscle pain, a dry cough, fever and chills, as per CNN. The symptoms usually subside by antibiotics, making the disease mostly non-fatal for humans.

WHO said it will be closely monitoring the outbreak of parrot fever, which is also known as psittacosis. The bacteria behind the disease belongs to the Chlamydia family, as per CNN.

The US CDC reported that mostly people make a full recovery from the disease. However, some may develop complications including pneumonia, endocarditis, hepatitis and inflammation of the nerves or the brain.

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