More H5N1 Confirmed Wild Birds in Germany
Recombinomics Commentary
August 15, 2007
Since the outbreak of the poultry plague with game birds at the beginning of July in the district according to with 212 black neck divers, seven hood divers, two sea gulls were proven to the data as well as with in each case a Blessralle and a board duck as well as with a dwarf diver the dangerous bird flu virus H5N1.
To it more than 300 game birds died to artificial lake, which extends to Thuringia, according to data of the authorities.
In the Free State 440 dead birds were examined and of it 106 positively tested, said a speaker of the Ministry of Health in Erfurt. The last case is only become known on past Friday in Thuringia.
The above translation indicates that the number of confirmed H5N1 infected wild birds in Germany has grown to 330 and involve at least seven species. The most recent positive was Friday, August 10 in Thuringia, suggesting that the summer outbreak may exceed the record number of confirmed birds in Germany in 2006, which totaled 343. In 2006 over 700 birds in Europe were confirmed to be H5N1 infected, but Germany had the largest number of cases.
In 2006 there was only one reported outbreak of H5N1 in domestic poultry (turkeys) in Germany (in Saxony) and this year there was on one goose that was infected (in Thuringia).
These data provide more evidence for an endemic population of H5N1 infected wild birds in Germany as well as neighboring countries. France has now had three reports of confirmed H5N1 in wild birds (ducks and swans) this summer, and the Czech Republic has reported one infected swan. These lower numbers and the failure to detect H5N1 by neighboring countries is cause for concern.
Although long range migration of wild birds is minimal during the summer in central Europe, H5N1 has been found in resident birds and there is little reason to expect infections to be localized in Germany.
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