Two‑year-old contracts infection from pigeons, succumbs after a month

The girl, who had been battling leukemia, contracted a rare pseudo poultry plague virus. The infection occurred following her second round of chemotherapy. She was subsequently admitted to a hospital in Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.

The medical team does not have concrete information on how the girl came into contact with the virus that is typically transmitted by poultry. The prevailing conjecture is that she might have touched a pigeon or its droppings.

Post-chemotherapy, the girl's weakened state initially obscured the symptoms of the virus. She suffered from a fever, stomach discomfort, and frequent vomiting. Upon the critical deterioration of her health, her parents sought urgent medical assistance.

She experienced multiple seizures. According to a report by the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, initial tests did not indicate any infection. However, infection symptoms materialized at a later stage. Medical staff prescribed antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and anticonvulsants to the two-year-old, but she unfortunately passed away a month after hospitalization.

"The exact point of infection remains unidentified, but the likelihood is that the virus was unintentionally transmitted through direct contact with pigeon feces or contaminated fluids," the doctors reported.

Newcastle Disease (ND), or the Pseudo Poultry Plague, is one of the most fatal viral diseases of poultry, on par with bird flu. While its impact on humans is generally mild, it can cause significant discomfort. The virus is transmitted via direct contact with poultry or their droppings. Symptoms typically include coughing, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and the potential for conjunctivitis.