Berlin authorities confirm first case of bird flu

Berlin authorities confirm first case of bird flu

Berlin authorities said Friday they had detected the lethal strain of H5N1 bird flu in a dead wild buzzard, the first case of the virus in the German capital.

The bird was found in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district on the eastern edge of the city. Cases already have been discovered in the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

Nearly 200 cases of the virus have been found in wild birds in several German regions, but most of them have been in the Baltic Sea region where the first cases were found. Three dead cats and a stone marten have also been diagnosed with the strain, reports the AP.

I.L.