Girl, 2, died after catching rare ‘zombie pigeon’ virus that causes twisted necks and makes birds walk in circles

A TWO-year-old girl died after catching a virus that turns pigeons into slow moving “zombies” with deformed necks, doctors have revealed.

The Australian toddler, who wasn’t identified, suffered avian paramyxovirus type 1 — a mysterious virus that spread rapidly in British pigeons last year.

The girl had a weakened immune system because she was battling leukaemia when she was infected with the virus, also known as Newcastle disease.

She is only the fifth human to have died from it since records began in 1926, with four previously losing their lives in the Netherlands, US, China and France.

Dr Siobhan Hurley, of Prince of Wales Hospital in New South Wales, said: “No recent travel, pets or unwell contacts were reported. 

“Although no exposure was identified, it is likely the virus was transmitted inadvertently via direct contact with pigeon faeces or infected fluids.”

APMV-1 is a virus that rarely infects humans and normally only causes mild conjunctivitis, but can be deadly in immunocompromised people.

Some 485 human cases have been reported globally, with 288 — more than half — identified in Britain.

It was first spotted in Newcastle in 1926 and is one of the most common and contagious viruses that spreads in wild and domestic birds globally.

Last year, a spate of cases in British birds led to officials warning or birds being left with twisted necks, “circling or unable to stand”.

The human patients who died in the Netherlands, US and China all suffered breathing problems and lost their lives to respiratory failure.

The fourth, in France, was another young girl who suffered progressive seizures after having a stem cell transplant for immunodeficiency.

The Australian girl’s case, recorded in , involved similar issues.

She was admitted to hospital after feeling sick and vomiting after three weeks of cold-like symptoms.

The girl had completed a second cycle of chemotherapy before she was brought in for care and her condition worsened over four days.

She started suffering seizures and had a high temperature, and doctors gave her an MRI scan to find out what was wrong with her.

Tests came back negative for a range of viruses, including Covid, and her condition did not improve despite being given antimicrobial and anti-seizure drugs.

Scans revealed her brain was swelling and some tissue died over two weeks.

Doctors were forced to stop giving her treatment and she tragically died 27 days after she was admitted.