Asian Bird Flu Spreads to England

Asian Bird Flu Spreads to England

LONDON -- The British government said Sunday that a strain of bird flu that killed a parrot in quarantine is the deadly H5N1 strain that has plagued Asia and recently spread to Europe.

Scientists determined that the parrot, imported from South America, died of the strain of avian flu that has devastated poultry stocks and killed 61 people in Asia the past two years, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The virus is spread by migrating wild birds and has recently been found in birds in Russia, Turkey and Romania, spurring efforts around the globe to contain its spread.

While H5N1 is easily transmitted between birds, it is hard for humans to contract. But experts fear it could mutate into a form of flu that is easily transmitted between humans and cause a pandemic that could kill millions.

Debby Reynolds, DEFRA's chief veterinarian, said the parrot was likely infected with the virus while it was housed in the country's quarantine system with birds from Taiwan. Tests conducted on the Taiwanese birds that had died were inconclusive, according to the department.

DEFRA said the virus was most closely matched to a strain found in ducks in China earlier this year but was not very similar to strains discovered in Romania and Turkey. The genetic makeup of the virus changes slightly as it spreads, and scientists use such tests to track its migration across the world.

It was Britain's first confirmed case of bird flu since 1992.
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BirdFluForum.net

How does a human contract the disease?

shouldn't they be using gloves when working with these things?

A Kingfisher bird is held by an ornithologist taking a sample in Vrana, southern Croatia, on Oct. 20.

Humans contract it from contact with birds infected with the virus. The real threat is that the virus has the capability of mutating and becoming able to be spread from human to human... which would result in a pandemic.

It's coming from Asia right? Then don't ship them in... Simple as, what owuld you rather have Birds and human's dying in mass numbers or English birds and humans staying alive.

Originally Posted by Techno It's coming from Asia right? Then don't ship them in... Simple as, what owuld you rather have Birds and human's dying in mass numbers or English birds and humans staying alive.

Its not that easy with birds migrating.

Originally Posted by Luke Its not that easy with birds migrating.

I guess not