London
Avian flu claimed its first victim in Britain this week: a parrot from Suriname. Since that South American country hasn’t had any bird flu outbreaks, authorities believe the parrot got the disease from other birds while in British quarantine. Technically, Britain is still considered bird flu–free, since the infection was confined to the quarantine area. But the government immediately called for an E.U.–wide ban on imports of all wild birds. When Belgium first proposed such a ban in March, Britain was the only country opposed. “The import of parrots could have been forbidden by now,” said Belgian Environment Minister Bruno Tobback.
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