Parrot thought to have caught deadly flu from Taiwanese birds

A PARROT that died in quarantine in Britain was thought to have caught the deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu from Taiwanese birds being held in the same compound.

It was found to contain the H5 virus on Friday but further tests last night confirmed it carried the virulent H5N1 strain, which can be lethal to humans.

Britain’s chief vet Dr Debby Reynolds said the H5N1 strain had never been seen before, but most closely matched the disease found in ducks in China earlier this year.