Health risks associated with pigeon droppings – should you worry?

An infection related to pigeon droppings was a "contributing factor" in the death of a child in a Glasgow hospital, she was confirmed.

The child was being treated at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital when he appears to have caught the infection – a fungus called cryptococcus.

The child has not been named. The bacterium did not contribute to the death in December of a second patient infected with the same bacterium, according to experts.

What is it?

Cryptococcus is a fungus resembling yeast that lives in the environment.

It can be found in soil contaminated with pigeon droppings.

How can you catch it?

People can be infected if they breathe.

The child who died in December at the Glasgow Hospital had been exposed to the fungus.

Experts say the probable source has been attributed to a room on the roof of the hospital. The pigeon feces appeared in the room via a small cut in the wall "invisible to the naked eye," confirmed Scottish Secretary of Health, Jeane Freeman.

The hospital has announced the implementation of infection control measures and no other cases have been reported.

What's the risk?

Most will not get sick, but vulnerable people with already weakened immunity can become very ill with chest infection or meningitis.

According to Professor Hugh Pennington, it is very unusual to see cases in the UK.

"It's common in other parts of the world, particularly in the tropics, in the United States, and in countries like this, where this type of fungus is more problematic. But in the UK, very rare.

"There are cases in people who have immune system problems, these are the people who are at risk with this kind of virus."

Cryptococcus infection can not be transmitted from person to person.

How dangerous is the poop poop?

Inhalation of dusts or droplets containing contaminated bird droppings can lead to several diseases, including a pseudo-flu called psittacosis.

Salmonella – a bacterial infection that can cause diarrhea – may also be present in some feces of birds.

If you clean or come in contact with droppings, take precautions. Wash your hands and clean exposed skin before eating, drinking, or placing your hands near your mouth.

Similarly, if you feed or handle birds, wash your hands.

If your immune system is compromised, such as HIV / AIDS or cancer, you should not clean the excrement.