By Heather Jensen Weekend Anchor/Reporter
News 3 On Your Side
The Georgia Department of Agriculture has stopped the sale of birds at every PetSmart store in Georgia because some of their birds were found to have Psittacosis, a bacterial disease that can be transferred to humans.News 3 On Your Side
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Stumble It!The disease primarily affects parrots, parakeets, and other members of the parrot family. Only in rare cases does it infect poultry.
In humans, the disease produces flu-like symptoms. But it does not respond to treatments for the flu.
"It can be fatal, but with treatment mortality is virtually zero,” says State Epidemiologist Dr. Dana Cole. “So that's why it's important that people seek medical healthcare if they are concerned about their own symptoms."
PetSmart will be contacting all customers who purchased a bird after September 1.
