H5N1 Reaches Britain

Along with a host of other countries, as you may know. Including Taiwan.

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.

Comments

[ProudAmerican]

And this link gets no attention... where are the priorities!! Get a 'script for Tamiflu!!!

[greenwing]

I find it hard to believe that Britain is allowing birds to be imported from Asia at this time.

This is an important part of that article (buried halfway down)

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.

Often, with birds, the "carrier" is asymptomatic as it probably was in this case. The Taiwanese birds may have also built up an immunity to the virus, if they had previously been exposed. The little guy from South America, where there have been no cases of the H5N1 strain, was a "sitting duck" in that situation.

It is right to be concerned about the bird flu spreading, but scare tactics, as these headlines employed, aren't going to do anything to help.

[Betsy]

Greenwing, while I agree with you about the scare tactics, I have to admit I ordered and now have a good supply of the disposable masks recommended for use if this flu actually appears.