Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiologist and member of the Scottish food advisory committee, has warned people could be at risk of contracting the disease via goods that contain bird feathers. In addition to bedding, feathers are also used in jackets and sleeping bags.
He warns it could kill four times as many Scots as first thought, with the death toll potentially exceeding 200,000 and has called for urgent action to prevent the disease from gaining a foothold in the UK.
“The authorities should certainly look very closely at banning imports of feathers,” said Pennington. “The risk is a real one that we might be importing the avian flu virus along with the feathers.
“Some of the feathers are coming from countries where the virus is…