Germany confirms three more case of bird flu
Three more wild birds in north-eastern Germany have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, authorities said today, bringing to 117 the total number of infected birds found in the region.
Germany’s first cases of the virus, announced on February 14, were on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, which still accounts for most of the confirmed cases.
Since then, the virus also has been detected in nearby mainland areas. Today, the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania said the H5N1 strain had been confirmed in two more swans and a Canada goose on the mainland.
The virus also has been found in wild birds in other parts of Germany. On Saturday, authorities in the eastern state of Brandenburg said two cases were found around the town of Schwedt, near the Polish border.
At the other end of the country, officials said that tests confirmed that a wild duck found near Lake Constance, which Germany shares with Switzerland and Austria, carried H5N1.
The agriculture ministry of Baden-Wuerttemberg state said a federal lab was investigating whether two more dead ducks found in the region carried the same strain.
The virus has not yet been found in domestic poultry in Germany.
