Germany reports outbreak of H5N8 bird flu in backyard poultry

PARIS, France - Germany has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus in a backyard in the southwestern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday.

The OIE is an intergovernmental organization coordinating, supporting and promoting animal disease control.

The virus killed 44 birds out of a flock of 69 in Bretzfeld, in the Baden-Wurttemberg region, the Paris-based OIE said, citing a report from Germany's food and agriculture ministry.

"All poultry and captive birds have been culled and safely disposed of on Feb. 7, 2020. No poultry, poultry products or captive birds have been dispatched," it said in the report.

A case of H5N8 bird flu had been confirmed in a wild bird in the eastern German state of Brandenburg in January but no birds on farms were involved, the ministry had then said. — Reuters