A mystery illness has hospitalised scores of people and prompted comparisons with COVID-19. An alert about severe cases of pneumonia in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was issued via the ProMED international public health surveillance system on Wednesday (April 17). Covid came to the attention of the world in 2019 through the same database.
ProMED is a program from the International Society for Infectious Diseases. Its alert said over the past 30 days there appears to have been an increase in cases of severe atypical pneumonia which required critical care in the city.
Those affected have mostly been young people who were without “major risk factors”, according to the alert which was posted anonymously.
Patients often needed help with their breathing while 20 of the 60 cases identified showed signs of psittacosis. Many of the affected patients have no apparent history of contact with birds, the alert says.
Psittacosis, also known as ornithosis or parrot fever, is caused by the bacterium Chlamydophila psittaci and is linked to birds such as parakeets, parrots and cockatiels.
Other avian species, including turkeys, ducks, pigeons and pheasants can also spread the respiratory infection.
People can become infected by breathing in dust containing the bacterium, which is shed in large amounts in the feces and secretions of infected birds. If it goes untreated, the infection can prove fatal.
Infectious disease expert Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline it was too early to confirm whether psittacosis is the only issue.
He said it would be unusual, but not unheard of, for two different pathogens to cause simultaneous outbreaks of severe respiratory disease. Professor Hunter added: “So, with time, it may be that even more of these cases may be shown to be due to psittacosis.”
Professor Hunter said most cases are associated with contact with birds kept either as pets or occupationally, but he knew of at least one study which suggested mowing lawns was a risk factor.
Those exposed to psittacosis through their jobs include pet shop workers, poultry farmers, poultry processing workers and vets.
Asked if the cases in Buenos Aires were being monitored in Britain, a spokesperson for the UK Health Security Agency said: “As part of our established global surveillance of emerging infections, we regularly monitor for reports of infectious diseases.”
Argentina is already grappling with a dengue outbreak, with more than 160,000 confirmed cases reported between January 1 and March 25. This is six times greater a number of cases compared to the previous season.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office lists dengue as among the health risks in Argentina along with yellow fever and Zika virus. Travellers to the country are advised to check they can get the healthcare they might need and make sure they have appropriate travel insurance.