In a case which involving an 'ex-parrot', a man has won a six-year battle for damages after contracting a rare disease from a parrot. Glyn Atherton, 35, had been working as an assistant manager at a branch of Do It All in Nottingham when he contracted the illness.
At first, Mr Atherton was admitted to hospital with flu-like symptoms and discharged a few days later. When he was subsequently readmitted, it became clear that the infection was serious. He remained in hospital for a further six months and was eventually diagnosed with a rare disease called psittacosis.
In the wake of his hospitalisation Mr Atherton developed chronic fatigue syndrome. This has forced him to leave his job, whilst his wife has had to give up her job to look after him. Mr Atherton can barely walk 20 yards, has little prospect of gaining further employment and does not even have the energy to pick up his daughter.
Bringing a claim for compensation against his former employers, Mr Atherton claimed he had caught the psittacosis from a parrot in the store. An African grey parrot, which was on sale in the pet section at Do It All, had contracted and died of the disease – often referred to as ‘parrot fever’. Mr Atherton regularly walked past the cage and it was thought that the infection had been transmitted through airborne sand from the parrot's litter.
The company initially denied liability but, shortly before the claim was due to be heard in court, it admitted liability for exposing Mr Atherton to the disease and agreed compensation of £700,000.
