US News

BYE, BYE, BIRDIES: EU

The European Union yesterday completely banned imports of pet birds in its battle against the spread of avian flu – taking a more sweeping step than the United States, which only has a limited ban in place.

The EU imposed the temporary ban after a healthy South American parrot died of the H5N1 virus it likely contracted from other birds during English quarantine.

The bloc’s move came eight months after the United States barred imports of pet birds – like parrots, cockatoos and macaws – from a list of 13 mostly Asian countries affected by the H5N1 strain. The list is updated when a country reports H5N1.

The current list of countries named in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s temporary ban includes Laos, Indonesia, China, Kazakhstan, and Romania.

More than 60 people in Southeast Asia have died of the bird flu – and yesterday Indonesia confirmed its fourth positive case.

So far, humans have contracted the flu only from animals and not other people. But experts fear the strain will mutate so that it becomes able to pass from human to human.