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Deadly virus found
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LONDON, Mon. --- A serious failure in strict quarantine regulations allowed a parrot to become infected with the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain after its arrival in Britain, animal health experts said yesterday. The South American parrot appears to have been kept in quarantine too close to a bird from Taiwan, against official advice to bird importers. The apparent lapse in the system is expected to bring about a review of a policy that allows some commercial animal dealers to run their own quarantine operations under veterinary supervision. The concerns were voiced as government scientists confirmed yesterday that the parrot had become infected by the H5N1 strain. The closest match to |
the disease was to ducks found in China this year; it is not similar to strains isolated in Romania and Turkey. Alan Jones, one of Britain’s leading avian veterinary surgeons, said: “The quarantine system worked in that it detected disease before it got out into the country. But there could have been far more serious consequences had the bird left quarantine still carrying infection. It could have spread further and started an outbreak”. The dead bird was imported from Surinam on Sept 16 as one of a consignment of parrots and soft bills (birds that eat soft fruit) that passed through the Heathrow Animal reception Centre. |
The bird has been taken to an approved quarantine centre where 216 birds from Taiwan were also held. A 30-day quarantine period started, then began again for the South American birds. The parrot tested negative for avian flu before its export to Britain but last Thursday it was found dead, infected with the H5 virus. The quarantine premises in question have not been identified by the Government but are understood to be run by a commercial bird importer. --- The Times.
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