Bird Flu :: Bird flu strain found in Germany

Bird flu virus had been discovered in the bodies of eight dead birds found in the state of Bavaria, the southern German city of Nuremberg.

The find marked the first cases of bird flu in Germany this year, said authorities who cordoned off the two Bavarian lakes where the birds were found.

The corpses of two more birds are being analysed to see if they also contained the H5N1 avian flu virus, the bodies have been sent to a national laboratory in Germany to determine if the virus is the highly pathogenic strain of the H5N1 virus.

The country’s top veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, confirmed that three wild birds — two swans and a goose — found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus.

Authorities in Nuremberg warned people to stay away from waterfowl after the five swans, one duck and one goose all tested positive for the H5N1 virus. Precautionary measures were now being taken.

Germany quickly passed this information on to the European Commission.

Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of over 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe.


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