Bird flu parrot dies in UK quarantine

A parrot which died in quarantine in the UK had avian flu, the British Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said tonight.

The H5 strain of the virus was isolated in a parrot imported from South America, which arrived in this country in mid-September.

Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said: “The confirmed case does not affect the UK’s official disease free status because the disease has been identified in imported birds during quarantine.”