March 27, 2006

 

New bird flu cases confirmed in Germany, Poland and Denmark

 

 

Authorities in Germany, Poland and Denmark have confirmed fresh bird flu cases on Friday (Mar 24).

 

Berlin authorities said they had detected the lethal strain of H5N1 bird flu in a dead wild buzzard, the first case of the virus in the German capital.

 

The bird was found in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district on the eastern edge of the city. Cases already have been discovered in the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

 

Nearly 200 cases of the virus have been found in wild birds in several German regions, but most of them have been in the Baltic Sea region where the first cases were found. Three dead cats and a stone marten have also been diagnosed with the strain.

 

In neighbouring Poland, laboratory tests have confirmed a new case of the H5N1 bird flu in a dead hawk found in Kostrzyn near the German border, officials said.

 

The hawk was discovered earlier this week in the same town where authorities found infected dead swans earlier this month, said Tadeusz Wijaszka, head of Poland's National Veterinary Research Institute in Pulawy.

 

Elsewhere in Europe, Danish authorities confirmed another case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu, after a dead swan tested positive for the disease.

 

It was Denmark's 11th case of the pathogenic virus, first found in the Nordic country last week.

 

Tests on the wild whooper swan found dead March 16 near Skibby on the eastern island of Zealand showed it was infected with H5N1, the Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research said.

 

Earlier this week, authorities established a protection zone around Skibby, 45 kilometres west of Copenhagen.