BIRD HEALTH RISKS

BIRDS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED DROPPINGS ARE A SERIOUS HEALTH RISK, CARRYING UP TO 40 VIRUSES and 60 TRANSMITTABLE DISEASES .

ECONOMIC LOSS IS NOT THE PRIMARY CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO INITIATE A CONTROL PROGRAM.

IN SOME SITUATIONS, FILTH CAUSED BY DROPPINGS, EXCESSIVE NOISE, AND THE THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH MAY DICTATE THAT A CONTROL PROGRAM BE INITIATED REGARDLESS OF ECONOMIC
LOSS. +

SOME OF THE DISEASES KNOWN TO BE TRANSMITTED TO HUMANS FROM BIRDS ARE ...

SALMONELLOSIS
A FORM OF FOOD POISONING. +

HISTOPLASMOSIS
RESPIRATORY DISEASE. RESULTS IN LESIONS OF THE LUNGS SIMILAR TO THOSE CAUSED BY TUBERCULOSIS. DIRECTLY CAUSED BY A FUNGUS FOUND IN PIGEON MANURE. AIRBORNE SPORES OF THE FUNGUS ARE INHALED OR SWALLOWED. ++

CRYPTOCOCCUS
A FUNGUS CAUSING CHRONIC, USUALLY FATAL, MENENGITIS. +

ENCEPHALITIS
VIRUS DISEASE CAUSING BRAIN AND NERVE DAMAGE. ++

TOXOPLASMOSIS
CAUSED BY MICROSCOPIC PARASITES, AS A CONGENITAL DISEASE PASSED FROM INFECTED MOTHER, MAY CAUSE BRAIN DAMAGE AND BLINDNESS IN NEWBORNS. FATAL. ++

NEW CASTLE DISEASE
HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS AND FATAL NEUROPNEUMONIA OF BIRDS THAT IS OCCASSIONALLY TRANSMITTED TO HUMANS. ++

ORTHINOSOS (PSITTACOSIS)
VIRUS DISEASE. USUALLY AN INSIDIOUS DISEASE THAT CAN BE A RAPIDLY FATAL
INFECTION. +

KEY

+ Kansas State University, Cooperative Extension Service
++ American Medical Association