어느 앵무새의 죽음

A scientist isolates influenza virus cells at the World Health Organization National Influenza Center in Bangkok on October 21, 2005. (Adrees Latif/Reuters) 영국에서 남미로부터 수입한 여러마리의 새중 격리된 지역에서 죽은 앵무새에서

조류독감H5N1이 발견됐다고한다. 금년 중국에서 오리로부터 확인된 것과 가장밀접하다고. 방제

지역 내에 있는 모든 새는 전부 살처분되었다고 영국과 주변국은 방제를 더욱 강화할 것을 요청

하며 변종으로 사람에서 사람으로의 전염을 재앙으로 우려하고 있다. 앵무새 우리들의 기억 속에

이쁘게만 자리 잡고 있는 데 인간이 자연에게 그간 긴 세월에 걸쳐서 행한 것들을 이자를 붙여

돌려받고 있는 것은 아닌지, 인간도 자연을 구성하는 한 부분뿐인 데도 마치 자연을 다스리는

파괴자정복자로 행세하며 또 다른 자연인 이웃에게까지 피해행패를 심어되니. 경고에 반응하여

근본을 돌아볼 수 있는 자세만 가진다면 또 다른 유익이 자연으로부터 올 것을....

Dead British parrot had deadly H5N1 bird flu

By Mike Peacock Sun Oct 23, 3:32 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - A parrot that died in quarantine in Britain has been found to have

the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, the agriculture ministry said on Sunday, and the spread of

the virus meant the country was now at greater risk.

A spokeswoman for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that

scientists had found "the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus" in the parrot.

"The closest match is to a strain found in ducks in China earlier this year," the ministry spokesman

said. The parrot, imported from Suriname, South America, was part of a mixed consignment of 148

birds that arrived on September 16, the ministry said. They were held with another consignment

of 216 birds from Taiwan.

All the birds were culled while in quarantine.

Debbie Reynolds, Britain's chief veterinary official, told reporters during a teleconference that

the parrot likely caught the virus while in the quarantine center where it was kept with

the Taiwanese birds.

Her staff reviewed the global threat and determined "there is a high risk of further global

dispersion of this virus."

As a result, Britain and others must increase their vigilance.

"There is a risk to the United Kingdom and this risk has increased," she said.

She said however that the finding did not affect Britain's "avian influenza disease-free status."

Reynolds said the parrot's tissue samples were mixed by mistake with another bird's so there

may be two infected birds in the quarantine center but that is not clear.

The H5N1 strain has killed more than 60 people in four Asian countries since breaking out in

late 2003 in South Korea.

It has also reached European Russia, Turkey and Romania, tracking the paths of migratory birds.

H5N1 has triggered widespread concern because it can transfer to humans in some cases,

although only if they have had prolonged and close contact with infected birds, and some

experts fear it could mutate to transfer between humans.