'Parrot fever' outbreak in Europe has led to deaths of five people

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 Tuesday.

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 Tuesday.

The outbreak was initially noted in 2023 and has continued through the start of this year. The deaths of five people have been reported.

Parrot fever is caused by bacteria in the Chlamydia family that is found in a variety of wild and pet birds and poultry. Infected birds don’t always seem sick, but they shed the bacteria when they breathe or poop.

Humans commonly catch parrot fever by breathing in the dust from an infected bird’s secretions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People can also get sick if a bird bites them or through beak-to-mouth contact. The disease is not spread through eating infected animals.

Human-to-human transmission is possible but rare, studies show. In most of the recent cases, people had been exposed to domesticated or wild birds that were infected, WHO said.

Most people who get parrot fever have a mild illness that begins five to 14 days after exposure to a sick bird and can include a headache, muscle pain, a dry cough, fever and chills. Antibiotics can treat the infection, and it’s rarely fatal for humans.

Austria, which typically sees two cases of this disease each year, reported 14 confirmed cases in 2023 and four more this year, as of March 4. The cases are unrelated, and none of the individuals reported traveling abroad or coming into contact with wild birds.