Panic is beginning to spread, if the tabloids are to be believed, as the so called bird flu virus A/H5N1 too spreads. Many countries throughout Europe have identified the virus in dead birds. So far the virus has been seen in the Arabian Peninsula, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Sweden and most recently Britain.
A ban on live bird trade has been suggested by the British government after a parrot held in quarantine died [BBC]. Tests have not yet been shown to be conclusive, but the parrot, which was imported from South America, had been housed with birds from Taiwan, a high risk country. Taiwan has had no recent cases however. China has stated that it will close its borders if the virus crosses the species barrier a Hong Kong based newspaper reported. China has also announced a fresh outbreak of bird flu, saying 2,600 birds have died from the disease in Inner Mongolia. The deaths, at a farm near the region's capital of Hohhot, were due to the H5N1 strain, which is potentially lethal to humans, the Xinhua news agency said and the BBC also relayed. And as the reports affect the public imagination, sales of Tamiflu are hitting record prices on auction sites such as Ebay. In Taiwan, patents are being ignored as production of the drug is put into motion according to the BBC. Although Tamiflu may be of use, it is no miracle cure. And its usefulness may not be realized until the virus itself mutates and begins to spread. Border controls will do little to thwart the spread of this virus as the mass migration of birds gets underway. They are, after all, to coin a phrase, "free as a bird".
[04:25 GMT 23/10/2005]
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