Epidemic characteristics of psittacosis in Huishan district, Wuxi city, Jiangsu province from February 2022 to July 2023

Objective To understand the epidemic characteristics of psittacosis and provide the basis for formulating control strategies.

Methods Descriptive epidemiology method was used to analyze the epidemic data of psittacosis in Huishan district, Wuxi City from February 2022 to July 2023.

Results A total of 22 cases of psittacosis were reported in Huishan district from February 2022 to July 2023. October 2022 was the peak incidence; psittacosis cases were reported in six sub-districts/towns of the whole district; the ratio of male to female incidence was 1.00∶1, mainly in the age stage of 60 years and above, accounting for 54.55%, and 50.00% of those who were retired; 90.91% of the cases had a clear history of poultry exposure; the symptoms of the cases were mainly fever and cough, 95.45% of the cases progressed to pneumonia, and 95.45% of the cases were hospitalized. Two clustered outbreaks of psittacosis were reported, one in the family and the other in the community.

Conclusion The majority of psittacosis cases in Huishan district have a history of poultry contact, and the retirees are the majority of cases. It is necessary to strengthen the publicity and education of key places and populations and epidemic surveillance, standardize the handling method of psittacosis sporadic cases and clustered epidemic incidence, and prevent outbreaks.