London - Bird flu found in parrot in UK quarantine-ministry

Reuters | October 21, 2005

[HAL9000]

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - A parrot that died in quarantine in Britain has been diagnosed with bird flu, the country's agriculture ministry said on Friday.

"A highly pathogenic H5 avian flu virus has been isolated in the parrot imported from Suriname, South America," the ministry said in a statement.

[bitt]

#37 - LOL!

[Domestic Church]

"South America is the troubling part."

Yep... a natural occurrence due to intercontinental migration (Peregrines?) or was it deliberate?

And exactly what kind of parrot was this and what kind of flight radius is it's norm?

[Domestic Church]

"Since it's not even that close to the US yet, it's still safe to feed and shelter wild birds"

Take off your blinders please and get some wide angle birding field glasses and a Peterson's Guide...if it has reached South America it is en route or already here.

[Domestic Church]

"Yeah, why isn't there a squirrel flu??"


It's a question for Mr.Magoo,
Or that Emily Latilla from SNL,
Due to Early and Late Americana squirrel stew?

[Domestic Church]

SSCS

That explains it.

[Domestic Church]

"This is an ex-parrot"

CDC or WHO affilate?

[Termite_Commander]

I don't think it has reached South America.

It's only been confirmed as H5, not H5N1.

Remember when everyone was saying it was on that Greek island? Well, it wasn't. It was a different strain. Don't jump to conclusions.

[Domestic Church]

I would expect a good chance of change from H5N1 to another form before developing H2H transmission:

http://www.glycoforum.gr.jp/science/word/glycopathology/GD-A06E.html

[Slings and Arrows]

I second that emotion.

[Kuehn12]

I tired over all this panic, to my knowledge there has only about 60 to 100 cases which is as bas SARS. A disease by all account should have been the AIDS of the new century, but it was contained. Spreading needless panic serves no purpose, but to scare people. Worse yet it will become the "Boy who cried wolf" scenario. If a real pestilence came the response would be slower because people will remember bird flue, West Nile and be slow to believe them. The health were telling us that was going to be a pandemic. I being to believe that these people, government officials need a crisis to justify their existence.

[Kuehn12]

I tired over all this panic, to my knowledge there has only about 60 to 100 cases which is as bad as SARS. A disease by all account should have been the AIDS of the new century, but it was contained. Spreading needless panic serves no purpose, but to scare people. Worse yet it will become the "Boy who cried wolf" scenario. If a real pestilence came the response would be slower because people will remember bird flu, West Nile and be slow to believe them. The health officials were telling us that was going to be some sort of pandemic. I being to believe that these people, government officials, need a crisis to justify their existence. Corrected post

[kittymyrib]

Why on earth is the importation of birds from Africa and Asia still allowed if bird flu is such a threat? This makes NO sense at all.

[Dustbunny]

Bad news !

[katykelly]

Did you see post 23?

[Lazamataz]

I always avoid post # 23.

[bitt]

hmmmmmmmmm....we are all tired of freak-outs ("rape and murder in the SuperDome!") but there ARE alerts worth noting and this looks like one of them.....epidemiologists have been dreading this scenario for several years now....

There is no sense in jumping out the window just yet, and skip these posts if you are not interested, but otherwise, wait and watch might not be such a bad idea....

[Rakkasan1]

LOL! Monty Python reference... since that's all we hear about any more, it needs an intro theme... http://www.geocities.com/pajahoo2012/TheTrashman-SurfinBird.mp3

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Just a few birds from Central and South America that migrate up here. And, bird flu was found in a parrot back in October! Hmmmm...seems Central and South America are not reporting cases of bird flu in order to preserve tourist dollars. How odd.

Guatemala -- Bullock's Oriole

Ecuador -- Northern Waterthrush

Colombia -- Scarlet Tanager

Peru -- Solitary Sandpiper

Panama -- American Kestrel

Mexico -- Green Winged Teal

Honduras -- Purple Gallinule

Costa Rica -- Western Kingbird

El Salvador -- White-faced Ibis

Belize -- Tree Swallow

Nicaragua -- Warbling Vireo