Avian influenza was detected in two cranes (symbolic image)
© dpa
For the first time this year, bird flu has been detected in two cranes in Berlin.
Two dead cranes have tested positive for bird flu in the Berlin-Brandenburg state laboratory, explained a spokeswoman for the responsible Senate Department for Justice and Consumer Protection. There are therefore two suspected cases. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Greifswald is now testing the samples. A result is still pending.
Bird flu is currently spreading rapidly in Germany. There is also an outbreak of the disease among cranes and poultry farms in Brandenburg. Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a highly contagious and rapidly fatal infectious disease in many bird and poultry species. In the past, the virus was only present in this country during the cold season in connection with bird migration. There are now detections throughout the year, albeit with seasonal fluctuations.
According to the consumer protection authorities, 1,203 wild birds have been officially tested for the disease using PCR over the past ten years. The result was positive in 133 animals. There have been two outbreaks in kept birds in the past ten years. One of them was at a small poultry farm, the other at the Zoological Garden. According to the report, wild birds are primarily affected in Berlin. "The number and size of domestic poultry flocks in Berlin are rather small," it said. Once a risk assessment has been carried out by the relevant veterinary authorities, appropriate measures can be ordered if necessary.