A mysterious respiratory illness has hospitalized dozens of people in Argentina in an outbreak that shares disturbing similarities with the arrival of Covid.
Sixty patients have contracted “severe atypical pneumonia” in the capital, Buenos Aires.
An alert about the cluster of cases was circulated last night through an international public health surveillance system.
Covid came to the world’s attention in late 2019 as a result of the same database, called ProMed.
Officials in Beijing sounded the alarm about an outbreak of “undiagnosed viral pneumonia” in Wuhan, which would later become “ground zero” of the pandemic.
Last night’s alert, sent anonymously ‘via a known ProMed individual’, said: ‘Over the past 30 days, there appears to have been an increase in severe atypical pneumonia requiring critical care in Buenos Aires.
“Those affected are mostly young people without important risk factors.”
Patients have required mechanical ventilation to help them breathe.
Argentine officials have made no official statements, meaning details about what the actual illness is are scarce.
But the alert suggested that a third of sick patients showed signs of psittacosis, caused by a type of chlamydia common in birds.
Many of the affected patients He had no apparent history of contact with birds, the alert noted.
Psittacosis, a flu-like illness nicknamed parrot fever, usually triggers mild symptoms such as headaches and cough. However, it can cause pneumonia in severe cases.
It can be especially problematic for older or immunocompromised people.
The alert added: “Although psittacosis appears to be the etiology of some of the cases, more than one agent may be involved.” ProMED would appreciate more information on these cases.’
Experts today asked health officials not to be “complacent” in the face of the threat of another respiratory disease.
But they insisted this was “unlikely to pose a wider threat”.
Respected infectious diseases expert Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline it was “too early” to confirm whether “psittacosis is the only problem”.
He said: ‘It would be unusual, but not unheard of, for two different pathogens to cause simultaneous outbreaks of serious respiratory illnesses.
“So, over time, even more of these cases may be shown to be due to psittacosis.”
Professor Hunter, a trusted voice during the Covid crisis, added: “Usually most cases are associated with contact with birds, whether as pets or occupationally.”
‘However, I know of at least one study that suggested mowing was a risk factor.
Argentine officials have made no official statements, meaning details about what the actual illness is are scarce. But the alert suggested that a third of the sick patients showed signs of psittacosis, caused by a type of chlamydia common in birds. Psittacosis, a flu-like illness nicknamed parrot fever, usually triggers mild symptoms such as headaches and cough. However, it can cause pneumonia in severe cases.
‘Presumably, the act of mowing the grass resuspended the bird droppings into the air to then be inhaled by the person mowing the grass.
‘That said, this is unlikely to pose a wider threat than the current area. But we must not be complacent: avian psittacosis can be transmitted to birds in other areas.’
The latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show six laboratory-confirmed cases of psittacosis in England in 2023.
In Britain, parakeets, the UK’s only wild species of parrot and a popular domestic pet, could pose a particular threat due to their large numbers across the country.
Scientists have long expressed concern about the growing number of rose-ringed parakeets, which are largely concentrated in suburban areas, particularly in gardens and parks across the leafy south-east of England.