Alert over mysterious pneumonia leaving dozens of ‘healthy’ people in critical care in eerie reminiscence of Covid

A MYSTERIOUS flu-like sickness has left dozens of wholesome individuals in Argentina hospitalised in an outbreak eerily much like the early days of Covid.

Sixty individuals have fallen sick with “extreme atypical pneumonia” and are being handled within the capital, Buenos Aires. 

An alert concerning the suspicious cluster of instances was posted on the illness outbreak monitoring community, ProMED, on April 17.

The Covid-19 outbreak was initially flagged as much as world scientists in late December 2019 through a ProMed alert in late December, which had warned of a similar-sounding respiratory sickness sweeping via town of Wuhan.

Final evening’s alert, submitted anonymously by an “particular person recognized to ProMED” stated: “Previously 30 days there seems to have been a rise in extreme atypical pneumonia requiring vital care in Buenos Aires. 

“The affected people are largely younger individuals with out main danger elements.”

A few of the sick sufferers have required machine air flow to assist them breathe.

Argentinian well being officers haven’t made any official statements, so particulars on the precise sickness are at present unknown. 

However the alert prompt a 3rd of sick sufferers confirmed indicators of psittacosis, attributable to a sort of chlamydia rife in birds. 

Lots of the sufferers nevertheless, don’t have any historical past of contact of dealing with birds, the alert says.

How involved ought to we be?

World well being skilled Dr Michael Head, from the College of Southampton, instructed Solar Well being: “There may be so little info accessible about this outbreak that it’s not possible to gauge how frightened, if in any respect, we must be.

“The world’s sees many outbreaks of pneumonia the place typically we don’t know the trigger or the pathogen concerned, and these are usually introduced below management by the native public well being companies.”

He added: “An necessary issue to know can be whether or not these sufferers have been in the identical location, for instance, a place of business the place they might have been uncovered to contaminated chicken faeces.

“If the epidemiology tells us {that a} doubtless state of affairs can be a number of instances of human-to-human transmission of psittacosis, this may be rather more regarding than an preliminary supply of an infection widespread to all instances.”

What’s psittacosis?

Psittacosis – often known as Parrot fever – is a flu-like sickness attributable to contact with contaminated birds that may go away individuals struggling with extreme pneumonia or mind and coronary heart irritation.

5 European international locations have seen a sudden improve in parrot fever infections in latest months, the World Well being Organisation (WHO) warned in an alert, although infections have been ticking up steadily over the previous few years.

Newest UK Well being Safety Company (UKHSA) figures present six laboratory-confirmed instances of psittacosis in England in 2023. 

In Britain, parakeets, the nation’s solely wild parrot species and a well-liked family pet, might pose a specific risk on account of their huge numbers. 

The brand new alert added: “Though psittacosis seems to be the etiology of among the instances, there could also be multiple agent concerned.

“ProMED would recognize extra details about these instances.”

WHO stated most individuals contaminated with psittacosis had been uncovered to wild or home birds.

Signs of parrot fever are typically gentle and resemble the flu, with victims experiencing fever and chills, headache, muscle aches and dry cough.

However left untreated, the sickness can progress to extreme pneumonia, irritation of the guts known as endocarditis, hepatitis and even mind swelling, in response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC).

Immediate antibiotic remedy is required to keep away from issues from psittacosis, WHO famous.