Two parrots have been identified as Britain's first cases of the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu. What were the birds? How and why did it come to Britain?
On September 16 a consignment of 148 birds from Surinam - parrots and soft bills (birds that eat fruit) - passed through the Heathrow Animal Reception centre. Documents were checked and they were handed to the bird importer for the period of quarantine. The birds were taken to Essex. There are premises at Heathrow, but they are usually for birds awaiting re-export.
On September 27 a consignment of 218 birds from Taiwan (the species has not yet been identified) was taken to the same quarantine premises as the Surinam birds.
On Thursday two parrots, almost certainly bound for a pet shop or a private collector, were found dead. One, thought to be an Orange-Winged Amazon, was found to carry the H5 strain and the other was inconclusive. All the remaining birds were humanely destroyed. Tissue samples from the two parrots were tested and the H5N1 deadly strain was confirmed in both.
Who was the importer?
Brett Hammond, who runs Pegasus Birds, in Little Warley, is one of the country's biggest bird importers and is implicated in the episode after his partner disclosed that Defra had asked them not to discuss the matter. He owns other buildings away from the shop which could have been used for quarantine, and he may also have use of other premises in the county.
Where were the birds kept in quarantine? Were any rules broken?
The way that the birds were infected in quarantine raises questions about the conditions in which they were kept. Officially, Defra has said only that the parrots died in quarantine premises with full bio-security in Essex. It is understood however that the premises in question were not used full-time as a quarantine station.
Under the rules of quarantine, birds must be kept isolated for 30 days in self-contained cages, bird-proof and vermin-proof, with all ventilation openings covered by a double mesh. Only a limited number of people can have contact with them, and they must not be in contact with any other birds. They must be kept at least 400 metres away from other captive birds, including birds on sale in a pet shop.
Animal health offices also insist on that while quarantine birds may be under the same roof, they should not be in the same unit or share the same air space.
If there is any mingling of bird batches - as happened here -Defra vets stipulate that the 30-day quarantine clock starts again from the moment of contact. Birds are checked within 12 hours of arrival in quarantine, and there is a second inspection after 14 days. The final check is at the end of the 30 day period of quarantine.
A number of concerns have been raised that bird importers and people in the trade are able to hold birds in quarantine on their own premises. The rules, howeverm are strict, and an importer is not issued with an import certificate unless a vet, usually someone in private practice licensed to conduct inspections by Defra, has ensured that the premises are up to scratch.
Defra's theory is that the parrots was infected by the birds from Taiwan. But how did the Taiwanese birds become infected?
Debbie Reynolds, the Government's Chief Veterinary Officer, says that investigations have found that the Surinam and the Taiwan consignments of birds had shared the same air space, and that this may have been how the virus was transmitted.
It has also emerged that some Taiwanese birds fell ill before they were killedm but it is unclear what virus they were carrying or if any samples have been tested.
But the theory that the Taiwan birds infected the Surinam parrots assumes that the Taiwanese birds carried the illness with them - and the Taiwan Government has denied that here have been any cases of bird flu on the island.
Government vets are now exploring the possibility that the quarantine premises may have been contaminated by an earlier bird consignment.
The illness could have gone undetected if it was a "subclinical" infection, and the infected birds began secreting virus only after the stresses of quarantine. Contaminated droppings could have released the airborne virus that may have infected subsequent batches of birds from Taiwan and South America.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is now looking at what birds went into the quarantine before the parrot’s arrival.
So it is possible that H5N1 was already in the quarantine centre? What are the implications of that?
If veterinary experts find the virus has been in the country some time, they will have to trace all the birds that were in the facility. The premises will be disinfected and fumigated and will be left free of any birds for some time. A ban on imports of wild caught birds, bird fairs, exhibitions and shows is also expected today.
How worried should we be?
In terms of human health there is no need for alarm. Even in terms of bird health, the parrots died in quarantine, which strictly means outside the country, and so the disease was caught before being able to spread in the wider community.
Most captive birds are kept indoors anyway, and would have little opportunity to be in contact with poultry or other wild birds. It is also unclear whether, even if they were infected with the virus, it could be passed to humans. It is possible that infected birds could spread the virus to other birds kept in captivity with them.
So it doesn't make a human flu pandemic more likely in Britain?
None of these events make a human flu pandemic more likely in Britain because the disease remains one in birds and not in humans in the UK or the rest of Europe.
The 67 deaths from the flu virus in South-East Asia have been among people who live and work very closely to chickens. Among the deaths it is also alleged there were cock fighters who suck the mucus from a bird's beak before a fight. Another case was a man who drank duck's blood.
There is only one case of human to human transmission when a weaning infant is thought to have been infected by its mother. There is also yet no evidence that the virus has mutated into a human form of the flu.
Should we still be eating poultry and eggs? Is it safe?
The European Union’s food safety agency got itself in a flap in when one of its scientists said he could not rule out that the virus could spread through food.
But the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was forced to play down comments by its science director, saying there was no evidence to suggest that bird flu can be transmitted through poultry or raw eggs, which are used in mayonnaise, steak tartare and tiramisu.
The European Commission added that controls meant there was no risk of contracting avian flu even from eating raw eggs. Even so, it went on to advice consumers to cook eggs and poultry thoroughly.
This is a line backed by the World Heath Organisation and the UK’s Food Standards Agency, which said this method kills any bugs and viruses. They are unaware of any reports of people getting avian flu from eating poultry or eggs – rather it is caught by people having contact with live birds which carry the disease. There have also been no reports of people handling poultry meat getting infected.
If I keep birds, what should I do?
All bird-keepers should remain vigilant. Follow the biosecurity guidance on the Defra website (www.defra.gov.uk) or contact your local animal health office via www.svs.gov.uk/ahdo_locations.htm.
Who should be most worried by H5N1?
Veterinary officials. This is a bird flu virus that has so far not made the jump to humans except for relatively few cases in people in close contact with poultry. So the health implications for people are conjectural, while those for birds are real.
Is there enough vaccine to go around and what protection against mutated avian flu would it offer?
A seasonal flu jab will give you no protection against avian flu. Having more of the population vaccinated against existing flu strains might however make a slight difference in public health terms if a pandemic of avian flu does occur. The idea of vaccinating everybody from existing strains is impracticable, anyway - world production amounts to only around 300 million doses, so there simply wouldn't be enough.
If vaccines are in short supply, what will happen if there is an outbreak?
There should be enough seasonal vaccine for the at-risk groups in the UK, so there is no need to panic. There is no practical vaccine yet for avian flu, should it become a human disease. If there is a pandemic, the Department of Health has promised to ensure that there is enough vaccine for up to 60 million people. But the vaccine will take six months to prepare once the strain is identified.
What is Tamiflu?
It is an anti-viral drug which has modest benefits in reducing the length of the illness - by about a day - and modifying symptoms. Almost all governments have ordered it, so production will be at full stretch, and demand may well not be satisfied, although Roche, its manufacturer, says it might allow other companies or governments to make it under licence.
What can individuals do to protect themselves against, or prepare for, a possible pandemic?
Not much. Getting the seasonal jab, if they qualify, can't be a bad idea. Some may try to acquire supplies of Tamiflu, but it is hardly a miracle drug. If a pandemic comes, the best advice is scrupulous hand-hygiene and if possible the avoidance of crowds. Avoid spreading the virus by covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, never share toothbrushes, towels, glasses or utensils, clean shared surfaces regularly, using paper towels, then throw them out. And if you are ill, stay at home and don’t spread the infection to others.
