What should you know about fowl cholera symptoms?

Fowl cholera is an illness of domestic and wild birds caused by Pasteurella multocida. Affected birds may become suddenly weak, stop eating, have ruffled feathers, breathing difficulty, discharge from the nose or mouth, diarrhoea, or swelling around the head and joints. Some birds can die quickly, while others develop a longer-lasting illness. These are signs in birds, not a checklist for diagnosing a person.

Human cholera is a different infection, caused by Vibrio cholerae, and is generally associated with contaminated food or water. A person with profuse watery diarrhoea can lose fluid and salts rapidly. The appearance of diarrhoea alone does not establish cholera; other infections and conditions can cause it too.

Avoid handling sick or dead birds with bare hands, keep children and pets away, and wash your hands after contact with birds, cages, litter, or droppings. Do not eat birds that appear ill. Contact a veterinarian or the relevant local animal-health authority for advice about the flock.

If you develop diarrhoea, drink frequent small amounts of an oral rehydration solution and seek medical advice, especially after unsafe food or water exposure. See the guidance on Diarrhoea and Oral Rehydration Therapy for practical hydration information.

Get urgent medical help for repeated watery stools with marked thirst, very little or dark urine, dizziness, fainting, confusion, unusual sleepiness, a fast heartbeat, or inability to keep fluids down. Prompt assessment is also appropriate for blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, high fever, or diarrhoea in an infant, older adult, pregnant person, or someone with a serious long-term condition.

A clinician may assess hydration, ask about food and water exposures, and decide whether stool testing or hospital treatment is needed. IV Fluid Therapy may be used when fluid loss is severe or drinking is not possible.

Ask: Could my symptoms be caused by an infection other than cholera? Do I show signs of dehydration? Do I need stool testing? Which fluids should I take while waiting for assessment? Should anyone else who shared my food or water be checked?