A MYSTERIOUS flu-like illness has left dozens of healthy people in Argentina hospitalised in an outbreak eerily similar to the early days of Covid.
Sixty people have fallen sick with “severe atypical pneumonia” and are being treated in the capital, Buenos Aires.
An alert about the suspicious cluster of cases was posted on the disease outbreak monitoring network, ProMED, on April 17.
The Covid-19 outbreak was initially flagged up to global scientists in late December 2019 via a ProMed alert in late December, which had warned of a similar-sounding respiratory illness sweeping through the city of Wuhan.
Last night’s alert, submitted anonymously by an “individual known to ProMED” said: “In the past 30 days there appears to have been an increase in severe atypical pneumonia requiring critical care in Buenos Aires.
“The affected individuals are mostly young people without major risk factors.”
Some of the sick patients have required machine ventilation to help them breathe.
Argentinian health officials have not made any official statements, so details on the actual illness are currently unknown.
But the alert suggested a third of sick patients showed signs of psittacosis, caused by a type of chlamydia rife in birds.
Many of the patients however, have no history of contact of handling birds, the alert says.
What is psittacosis?
Psittacosis – also known as Parrot fever – is a flu-like illness caused by contact with infected birds that can leave people suffering with severe pneumonia or brain and heart inflammation.
Five European countries have seen a sudden increase in parrot fever infections in recent months, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned in an alert, though infections have been ticking up steadily over the past few years.
Latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show six laboratory-confirmed cases of psittacosis in England in 2023.
In Britain, parakeets, the country’s only wild parrot species and a popular household pet, could pose a particular threat due to their vast numbers.
The new alert added: “Although psittacosis appears to be the etiology of some of the cases, there may be more than one agent involved.
“ProMED would appreciate more information about these cases.”
WHO said most people infected with psittacosis had been exposed to wild or domestic birds.
Symptoms of parrot fever tend to be mild and resemble the flu, with sufferers experiencing fever and chills, headache, muscle aches and dry cough.
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But left untreated, the illness can progress to severe pneumonia, inflammation of the heart called endocarditis, hepatitis and even brain swelling, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Prompt antibiotic treatment is needed to avoid complications from psittacosis, WHO noted.
What are the symptoms of psittacosis?
PSITTACOSIS is a respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Chlamydophila psittaci found in birds.
Most people begin developing signs and symptoms within five to 14 days after exposure to the bacteria, according to the Wold Health Organisation.
Prompt antibiotic treatment is effective and can help avoiding complications such as pneumonia.
With appropriate antibiotic treatment, psittacosis rarely results in death, with less than one in 100 cases being fatal.
Symptoms of parrot fever include:
- Fever and chills
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Dry cough
Though most people treated for parrot fever make a full recovery, some have serious complications and need hospital care.
These include:
- Pneumonia (lung infection)
- Endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves)
- Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
- Inflammation of the nerves or the brain, leading to neurologic problems
Symptoms of psittacosis are similar to many other respiratory illnesses and tests to detect the bacteria directly may not be readily available.
For these reasons, doctors may not suspect it, making psittacosis difficult to diagnose.
You should tell your GP if you get sick after buying or handling a pet bird or poultry.