Parrot Fever Surge Leads to 5 Deaths in Europe

The March report from WHO detailed more than 100 cases of psittacosis, sometimes called “parrot fever,” in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands from 2023 through the beginning of 2024. The international health organization is calling the increase “unusual and unexpected.”

Most parrot fever illnesses have been in people who work with or own pet birds (such as parrots, parakeets, and cockatoos), owners of backyard chickens and ducks, poultry workers, veterinarians, and gardeners.

The WHO said that several of the illnesses in this outbreak were linked to contact with bird droppings via feeders, and a few were associated with ducks handled during hunting.

Parrot Fever Is Not the Next COVID-19

“It's a serious disease and not to be taken lightly, but it's been around for a long time and it’s not going to be the next COVID,” says Stephen Rich, PhD, a professor in the department of microbiology at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Dr. Rich specializes in the study of zoonotic diseases, or those that originate in animal populations but occasionally spill over into humans.

Cases in Denmark illustrate how serious parrot fever can be. Of 23 residents who tested positive for the bacteria since February 27 of this year, 17 were hospitalized, 15 of them with pneumonia, and four died.

Although psittacosis is not expected to become a problem in the United States, Patrick McHugh, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic Akron General, urges pet bird owners to be cautious.

“People should be aware of the potential danger from exposure to dried feces in the cages of their pet birds,” says Dr. McHugh, who specializes in wilderness medicine. “When birds exercise their wings, the bacteria could be spread if the bird carries or is infected with C. psittaci.”

What Are the Symptoms of Parrot Fever?

Infected birds, however, can also be asymptomatic, so any person who is in close proximity to birds is advised to be on the alert for parrot fever symptoms, including fever, headache, chills, muscle pains, cough, and sometimes breathing difficulty or pneumonia.

The physical effects are similar to other respiratory illnesses, so laboratory tests on blood or respiratory secretions are needed to definitively identify the presence of the bacteria in humans and birds.

“If you get an upper respiratory infection and you go to your doctor, tell them if you have a parrot or backyard chicken coop, because that may help them get to a diagnosis quicker,” says Rich.

If left untreated, the disease can be severe, and even result in death, especially in older people. Antibiotics such as tetracycline or doxycycline are often prescribed to treat parrot fever.

Rich suspects that most people who have owned pet birds for a while don’t have to be overly concerned, because it's unlikely their pets have been in contact with other birds that may spread the disease.

How to Prevent Parrot Fever Infection

WHO encourages people with pet birds to keep cages clean, position cages so that droppings cannot spread between cages, and avoid overcrowded cages.

As with other respiratory illnesses, good hygiene can reduce illness. This requires frequent handwashing after handling birds, their feces, and their environments. When around birds or bird residue, people may want to wear masks to prevent inhaling forms of the bacteria that may infect their lungs, and put on gloves when handling birds and cleaning cages.

“The message from this outbreak is that the danger of getting the disease through dried bird droppings should always be considered,” says McHugh. “Bird owners should take care not to inhale the dried droppings of their pet bird, and people who frequent parks or other areas where birds are commonly located need to be aware of the possibility of exposure as well.”