What diseases do birds carry?

We often think of birds as cute little animals. Some are incredibly beautiful, there is no denying that. However, birds can create some rather severe problems for you, which go way beyond making a mess or leaving their waste around. Birds carry a large number of diseases which can be incredibly hazardous to your health, to the health of your family, into your pets.

Many aware of this because, they see birds around them all the time. They don't really consider that there could be serious issues related to those birds that are wandering around their yard or living in their trees. In fact, you should be aware that birds carry over 60 different kinds of diseases that are found in their droppings alone. That's a staggering number when you really consider it, and should be cause for alarm for you.

Bird flu is one of the most common things that are found in the droppings of a bird. This disease not only causes a problem for you if you come in direct contact with the droppings but, as they dry, those diseases will become airborne as well. The droppings turn into a fine powder which becomes airborne due to a number of things, including wind, which can then get into your respiratory track. This is how so many contract illnesses like this.

This is not the only problem however. There are several other diseases that can be found in the droppings of birds. Histoplasmosis is one of the most common, and can be a fatal disease if contracted. This is a fungus that grows in bird's droppings and becomes airborne as the droppings dry. This affects your respiratory system making it impossible to breathe.

Candidiasis is a kind of fungus that is often spread through pigeons. This disease can affect many different parts of your body, including your skin, your respiratory system, your intestines, your excretory system and, in women, it can have a very serious effect on their vaginally area. Many women find that they have a discharge in severe pain as a result of this fungus.

Salmonellosis is often associated with food poisoning, but its effects can go far beyond your ingesting of food. The bacterium that is the source of this disease is often found in bird droppings, and can easily be spread in a variety of ways. One of the most common ways that this is spread is true ventilation systems where birds are known to congregate. The disease spreads as the birds leave their waste near the outside area of the ventilation ducts. It then is easily sucked into the vents and spread throughout the building.

Not all diseases you encounter are bacteria are fungus. There are many different kinds of bugs that people can contract as well that come from birds. Chicken mites are a common one. These mites not only attack chickens, but many other kinds of birds, including pigeons and sparrows. They also attack human beings, spreading encephalitis, which can be quite deadly.

Bedbugs are a problem that is found on many different kinds of birds. We mostly associate these kinds of bugs with our own beds, but they travel quite frequently on different kinds of birds. These mites can carry a lot of different problems that can affect your health and the health of your family.

Yellow mealworms are one of the most common kinds of parasites found in the United States. They frequently live in a pigeon's nest, but is the pigeon leaf that nest is not uncommon for them to leave with it. This means that these mealworms can be spread rather quickly. Usually this results in getting in grain, which can cause a wide variety of intestinal problems for people that eat the grain.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many different kinds of diseases and parasites that birds carry, that it is almost beyond words. In fact, several hundred different kinds of viral and bacterial diseases are carried by birds alone. These include such things as encephalitis, smallpox, bubonic plague, meningitis, and many others that are commonly associated with severe illnesses. The birds may look cute, but you should be well aware that they carry a lot of diseases that could be harmful to you.

The number of travelers hitching a ride on birds reaches into the several hundred as well. This includes such things as mites, fleas, and ticks. What makes these critters so dangerous is that they are carrying their own forms of illness as well. This means you are not only susceptible to whatever diseases the birds are carrying, but also to the diseases that are on the mites and other parasites. This puts your health at serious risk to say the least.

Of course, as mentioned before, the feces of the birds can be just as hazardous to you. You have to be very careful in how you approach and handle any kind of cleanup related to bird feces. You should always wear some kind of protective equipment, especially around your mouth and your eyes. These parasites are known to get inside a person's respiratory track where they can create innumerable problems.

Birds may be cute, but they are best enjoyed when they are far away from you. Be smart about handling or coming in contact with birds in their waste around your home. Make sure you wash your hands if you've come in contact with anything bird related.



Also read our other bird tip: Should you ever trap a pigeon in a cage?