Deadly Bird Flu: The New Black

You won't find it in the latest edition of the Zagat guide, but the list of countries in which you shouldn't eat poultry has just tripled.

China, Russia, Romania and -- enjoy the irony here -- Turkey welcomed Croatia, Sweden and Britain to the quarantine table this weekend, citing confirmed cases of the deadly Avian flu strain which has already killed more than 60 people and thousands in livestock.

According to the latest Travel Notice posted on the CDC website, the World Health Organization has just reported its first laboratory-confirmed human case of avian influenza A since October 2004, resulting in the death of a 48 year-old male patient in Thailand.

Across the sea in Britain, the country's disease-free status was threatened when a common parrot traveling from South America was also found infected with the deadly strain. The bird died earlier this week in a biosecure quarantine in which it had remained since its arrival in the country earlier this September.

It is unclear if the parrot's passing is a direct result of the avian flu or just weeks of having to endure eating British food.

In a related story, the Kellogg company announced an open casting call for mascots to their new breakfast cereal brand, Flu Loops.

Same fruity taste, now with less sugar and more acute respiratory distress!