Bird flu found in two more cats on island of Ruegen in north Germany

Two more dead cats have been found infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu on the island of Ruegen in north Germany, a spokeswoman for the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.

Photo: Bird flu found in two more cats on island of Ruegen in north Germany

The news follows the confirmation Monday that several cats in Austria had been infected with the disease, and the Feb. 28 confirmation that a first cat on Ruegen had been infected.

The two cats on Ruegen were found in the same area as the first, said Ulrike Hinrichs, spokeswoman for Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer.

The disease has swept through wild fowl in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and its appearance in a mammal added to concerns about the disease's ability to spread. Medical experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily between humans and cause a worldwide flu pandemic, reports AP.

O.Ch.