You may be unfamiliar with the disease of psittacosis, but psittacosis is not uncommon in daily life, especially for people who work in bird farms. Recently, however, an infectious disease called psittacosis broke out in Lishui, Zhejiang Province. It is actually a special type of infectious pneumonia, which is caused by chlamydia parrot.

What is parrot fever?

Parrot fever is also called bird fever. As the name implies, it is related to parrots. The main symptoms are high fever, aversion to cold, headache, muscle pain, cough and lung lesions caused by chlamydia psittaci infection in humans. Clinical syndrome because chlamydia psittaci mainly spreads and infects among many kinds of birds, and occasionally it can be transmitted from infected animals to humans. It is usually transmitted to humans by English parrots. So psittacosis is more common in people who breed parrots and play with parrots. At the same time, many birds can also be infected with this pathogen and transmitted to humans. The clinical symptoms and diversity of psittacosis can also slow onset. The body temperature gradually starts to rise after 3 to 4 days or longer. But most of them are acute diseases. High fever, chills, relatively slow pulse, general malaise, fatigue, poor appetite, severe headache and muscle pain all over the body, etc.

What are the symptoms of parrot fever?

People infected with psittacosis virus will suddenly have a high temperature of 39 ~ 40℃, which may be accompanied by chills. Have a severe and diffuse headache, which can last for 7 ~10 days. Often sweating and nausea and vomiting. There are myalgia, sore throat and chest pain. Myalgia involves the whole body, especially the trunk and limbs, and it is even difficult to be independent in severe cases. Most patients have respiratory symptoms. Cough mostly occurs on the third to sixth day of illness, mainly dry cough, and the incidence of pneumonia is as high as 85% ~ 90%. Cyanosis, irritability, delirium, coma, etc. may occur when the disease develops. Occasionally nosebleed or macula accompanied by bradycardia.

How can citizens prevent the spread of parrot disease?

First of all, patients with psittacosis should be isolated and their sputum should be disinfected. Then avoiding contact with infected birds or birds such as parrots can prevent infection, and workers in poultry processing industry should pay special attention to avoiding occupational contact. Strengthen the management of international import quarantine and ornamental birds. If sick animals are found, they can be slaughtered or treated in isolation. Then go to a professional hospital for help as soon as possible.