A rare virus transmitted by pigeons. A two-year-old from Australia has died
After almost a month of fighting, a girl died after being infected with pigeon paramyxovirus type 1. She is only the fifth victim of this disease, which can be transmitted by dust blown by the wind.
A two-year-old Australian girl who was battling leukemia contracted a rare virus and died. It is pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1). The infant was taken to hospital in Randwick, a suburb of Sydney, after suffering cold-like symptoms, nausea and vomiting for three weeks. The two-year-old had completed her second round of chemotherapy just six weeks earlier, reports the Daily Mail.
Doctors found that the girl had not traveled recently or had any contact with pets or sick family members. Over the next four days, her condition worsened as she suffered a series of epileptic seizures. The MRI results showed no cause for concern, and repeated tests for the virus were negative.
Tragedy in Australia. A two-year-old has died
The infant was given antiviral and anticonvulsant medications and antibiotics to help treat brain swelling and reduce discomfort. However, the two-year-old’s condition did not improve. Treatment failed to stop further brain tissue death and she died almost a month after admission to hospital. Medics assessed that the girl’s death was most likely caused by encephalitis followed by infection with avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1).
Tests showed that it was similar to samples previously taken from pigeons. The virus was most likely inadvertently transmitted through direct contact with pigeon droppings or infected fluids. The virus is spread in pigeon droppings and can be transmitted by wind-blown dust.
Five victims of Newcastle disease (Newcastle disease)
Newcastle disease, also known as Newcastle disease, was first identified in 1926. The first documented case of infection in humans was reported in 1942 in Australia. Since then, approximately 485 cases of the disease have been reported in humans around the world, half of them in Great Britain. Earlier, four people died in the Netherlands, the US, China and France. All deaths were caused by the APMV-1 strain.
