BERLIN, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Two more wild birds have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in Germany, a German veterinary institution reported on Wednesday.
The two cases were reported in the eastern state of Thuringia where about 100 birds were found dead and about 40 were being tested for bird flu, Germany's Friedrich-Loeffler Institute said.
Last week, Germany confirmed six birds infected with the H5N1 virus in the southern state of Bavaria and three more in the eastern state of Saxony.
Thuringia officials said on Tuesday that local authorities had established a restricted zone within a radius of three kilometers from where the dead birds were found. The sources of the new cases were still unknown.
According to the World Health Organization, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of more than 300 cases globally since 2003.
Health experts fear that H5N1 could some day develop the characteristics of seasonal flu and begin spreading easily among people, causing a global outbreak that could kill millions.
BRUSSELS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Germany has confirmed bird flu cased in wild birds in Thuringia while French and Austrian authorities have reported new suspected cases in wild birds in their territories, said the European Commission on Wednesday.
In Germany, the national reference laboratory has confirmed highly pathogenic bird flu virus in a black-necked grebe in Thuringia, close to the border with Saxony, where the deadly H5N1 virus had been confirmed.
The French authorities have reported a suspicion of the H5 virus in three wild swans found dead in the Moselle department, and are carrying out further tests in the national reference laboratory to confirm the exact strain of the disease. Full story
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