Health officials are advising residents to avoid contact with wild birds after three people test positive for a potentially dangerous bacterial infection.
The Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) issued the advice to residents of Blue Mountains and Lithgow, New South Wales, after several locals were recently diagnosed with psittacosis, also known as parrot fever.
The region's director of public health, Bradley Forssman, said the disease could spread through exposure to the birds, or dust containing bird droppings.
"Direct contact with wild birds, including handling and feeding, should be avoided where possible," Dr Forssman said.
He said dust masks and gloves should be worn when gardening or lawn mowing in areas where birds may have left droppings.
Symptoms in humans could appear from five to 28 days after exposure, and could vary from a mild flu-like illness to severe pneumonia requiring hospitalisation, the NBMLHD said in a statement.
Older people could experience more severe symptoms, but the disease was treatable with antibiotics.
Personal experience with disease
Several years ago, commercial orchard pruner John Sharp of Cargo, NSW, was infected by psittacosis when his chainsaw disturbed dust from parrot nests.
"I ended up in hospital for about 10 days to get over it," Mr Sharp said.
"[It] put me out of work for about three weeks."
Upon returning to work he regularly wore face masks to avoid being re-infected.
"It's not a comfortable disease to deal with," he said.
Don't kiss birds
Veterinarian and avian medicine expert, Stacey Gelis, said the bacteria was common among both wild and captive birds and outbreaks could periodically occur.
"Parrots or pigeons are probably the two species that most commonly carry it, that we know of, but it can affect any bird and also poultry," Dr Gelis said.
"Sometimes they can be totally asymptomatic, so they look totally normal, and at other times it can kill them."
Runny eyes, sneezing and green droppings were some of the symptoms that may show in infected birds, he said.
Dr Gelis said he discouraged people from kissing their birds and advised owners to clean cages in a well ventilated area using a disinfectant.
"The organism spreads around the bloodstream and then comes out with the droppings, or with the urine or when they cough," he said.
"You never know when they could be excreting it."
New bird owners should have a quarantine period for the animals and get them checked by avian veterinarians, he said.
"If you're picking up sick wild birds, wear gloves or grab a towel and pass it off to a veterinary clinic nice and quickly so you decrease the risk of having an issue," Dr Gelis said.
