December 17, 2007

Bird flu strain detected in eastern Germany

Two domestic chickens in eastern Germany have tested positive for bird flu virus.

The Brandenburg state's Agriculture Ministry regional authorities said the infected birds were kept with nine other chickens in the Oberhavel region, northwest of Berlin, Germany.

After several of the birds died, the remains of two were sent for testing on Friday. A federal lab confirmed that they were infected with the H5N1 strain.

The remaining birds were immediately slaughtered while poultry within the three-kilometre radius was being checked for the virus.

A similar outbreak of the disease at a poultry farm in Bavaria in August led to the slaughter of 160,000 birds.

The previous month, the virus was detected in a domestic goose in the east of the country, and several cases have surfaced among wild birds this year.

The disease has ravaged poultry stocks in Asia, and scientists believe it spread to Europe and to Africa with migratory wild birds.

To-date, bird flu has killed 206 people worldwide. Experts believe most victims were probably infected through direct contact with sick birds.