Fears of bird flu in the Caribbean
THE ARRIVAL of a highly pathogenic form of avian flu in Britain from a parrot that died in quarantine has raised concerns that the disease may already be in the Caribbean. The parrot was part of a consignment from Suriname and was among birds sharing space in a biosecure unit with another consignment from Taiwan. Tests have yet to confirm whether the parrot, which was imported into Britain in September and died four days ago, succumbed to the feared H5N1 form, although it is known the virus was one of the H5 types. Meanwhile, Venezuela has closed its border with Colombia across three western states amid concerns about a mild strain of bird flu detected in the neighbouring country.The country’s agriculture ministry ordered the closing of borders in the states of Tachira, Zulia and Apure to prevent the virus from crossing over into Venezuela, the state-run Bolivarian News Agency reported. These developments have prompted local and regional producers to tighen security in a bid to prevent a possible outbreak of bird flu in the Caribbean.
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"Fears of bird flu in the Caribbean"