Germany reports outbreak of H5N8 bird flu in swans

[PARIS] Germany reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus in the central state of Saxony-Anhalt, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday.

The virus was found in three swans, it said, citing information from the German food and agriculture ministry.

Germany was one of many European countries that found cases of the highly contagious H5N8 bird flu last year and earlier in 2017.

It had culled more than 700,000 farm chickens, turkeys, ducks and other poultry types between November 2016 and March 2017 to combat bird flu.

REUTERS