Halle (dpa/sa) - In Saxony-Anhalt, cases of avian influenza have occurred for the first time in months. On the first weekend in December, several geese died because of the virus, the State Office for Consumer Protection in Saxony-Anhalt said on Wednesday. A bird flu was detected in a dead snipe found in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel last week. These are the first cases of the virus disease in Saxony-Anhalt in the second half of the year.
Avian influenza is a viral disease that is highly contagious for domestic poultry and, according to the district administration, causes increased deaths in the animals. Some variants of the avian influenza virus can also be transmitted to other animals and humans in individual cases.
