Is it permissible to leave a country where bird flu has spread?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This is a question that has been asked many times. The questioner asks: Is it permissible to leave a country where a plague of bird flu has spread? And is this considered part of the plague that has spread?

Answer:
It is not permissible to leave a country where a plague has spread, nor is it permissible to enter it, as stated in the hadith: If a plague has spread in a country, you do not go to it; you turn back. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) turned back from Sham when the plague occurred there. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you hear of it in a country, do not enter it. As for those who are in it, they do not leave; they remain in it, and it is not permissible for them to leave, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade leaving it. They remain in it, and perhaps there is a wisdom in this, which is that the disease does not spread. This is what is called quarantine, and it has a basis. Yes. May Allah reward you. The matter is concluded. And Allah the Exalted knows best, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad.