No more pecks on the lips from your pet parrot!

[21 October 2009 - 10h44]

If you own a budgerigar, parrot or any other type of bird, don’t let your pet ‘peck’ you on the lips. This little gesture of affection enjoyed by many bird owners could well lead to the transmission of a disease known as psittacosis. And you should also bear this in mind when cleaning out your bird’s cage and equip yourself with gloves and a mask.

Psittacosis is a zoonotic disease, transmitted to humans when they inhale contaminated dust or droppings that have been aerosolized (dispersed in the air as very fine droplets or dust particles). Symptoms of the disease are generally flu-like in nature, with headache, shivers, muscle pain, a temperature of over 39°C, tiredness, etc.

There is little information available regarding the incidence of psittacosis, especially as the symptoms can be confused with those of other illnesses. Some epidemic focuses have been described but these remain rare.

In its report, the French health watchdog – the Institut de Veille Sanitaire Français – points the finger at insufficient ventilation as a factor. So if you have one or more birds at home, make sure that there is adequate ventilation. And, most importantly, put on protective clothing (gloves, mask) each time you clean out your bird’s cage. One final point: if you experience flu symptoms, let your doctor know that you keep birds at home. This will help him to reach the correct diagnosis.

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