Avian influenza spreading rapidly in Germany

German authorities warned on Friday that avian influenza is spreading rapidly across the country, with an outbreak affecting both farmed and free-range birds.

German Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer told a press conference that the number of cases has increased rapidly over the past two weeks.

The most important task of the authorities – „ is to prevent the further spread of the virus, protect animals and prevent damage to our agriculture and food industry“, – he added.

Germany's national animal disease research centre – the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) – has warned of a high risk of further outbreaks.

Because wild birds, including cranes, which were previously free of the disease, have also been infected with the flu, the FLI has warned that further, possibly widespread, transmission can be expected.

A photographer for the AFP news agency saw volunteers wearing white protective suits and masks collecting dozens of dead cranes in the town of Linum, north of Berlin.

The dead animals were then removed by an excavator.

Helge May‘jus, a spokesman for the environmental organisation NABU, told the AFP news agency that more than 240,000 animals were likely to have been slaughtered as a result of the outbreak.

The FLI has not yet responded to a request for this figure.

Around 15,000 birds had to be slaughtered on Thursday on a farm in south-west Germany, regional authorities said.

Authorities urged the public to avoid contact with sick or dead animals.

FLI warned that humans could theoretically be infected by birds, although the real risk is believed to be low.