There are reports that a mysterious disease is spreading in Britain, causing a shortage of birds. It is said that the infection causes the birds to lose their mobility and turn them into zombies.
Pigeon Paramyxovirus or Newcastle’s Disease, which has particularly affected pigeons in the Jersey area of Britain, is called Pigeon Paramyxovirus. Pigeons infected with paramysovirus lose their feathers and their necks become severely twisted. Due to this the pigeons become unable to fly and their faeces are green in color. The rapid spread of the disease has increased the risk of easy transmission among birds across Britain. Birds infected with this disease show reluctance to eat.
A sanctuary official told The Sun that the infection has been spreading rapidly among the pigeons visiting the JSPCA animal sanctuary, especially among the pigeons living on the ground for the past few weeks, and as a result, they are showing signs of neurological problems such as neck twisting, stuttering or inability to concentrate.
This infection can produce very fatal consequences among birds. Paramysoviruses are transmitted to other birds through other excretions such as feces and saliva of infected birds. Due to the high impact of this infection, the JSPC animal sanctuary is humanely euthanizing infected birds, its officials said. It has been found that the incidence of viral infection is higher during the wet and cold months.
The slightly comforting news is that humans are not much affected by this disease. However, it has also been suggested that humans who handle infected birds may be exposed to the infection. As a result, the British government has advised pigeon breeders to vaccinate their pigeons. Earlier this month, bird flu was reported in 155 areas of Britain. According to reports, more than 3 million infected birds were driven away from there.
