Bird pests can spread diseases but we need to point out that this is pretty rare. The fact is that many professions, like professions involved in wildlife rehabilitation or veterinary medicine, treat and heal wild birds dealing with different kinds of avian diseases regularly. In addition, people that practice sports like racing pigeons are also in touch with birds all the time. They are visiting messy pigeon lofts on a regular basis and as long as they are protected appropriately with their clothing there shouldn’t be a problem.
There is almost the same chance to get infected or diseases from your contact with birds as with common pets. Truth be told, every animal and bird have a potential to transmit a disease and the same goes for humans.
There are a few situations where birds may be viewed as a threat to our health. The first one is the presence of excrement created by roosting birds (especially pigeons and seagulls) and dropped on the pavement areas which may cause slip and fall accidents. Secondly, when dried bird excrement is accumulated in large volumes, people who come into contact may experience respiratory irritation when they breathe in these areas. The situation gets much worse when people who are already dealing with specific respiratory issues are breathing this air.
One of the main reasons why people are worried about birds and their potential to bring diseases is simple – many people have watched the progress of the so-called avian influenza epidemic. Intensive farming was the main reason for the emergence of this disease. In other words, humans were responsible for its spread – not the birds!
However, feral birds clearly don’t belong in our homes and commercial buildings and if they’re causing you problems, the best idea is to call a pest control service provider like us. Please get in touch if you are experiencing pest bird problems and we’d be happy to advise on the best course of action.
