Shortly after France’s first cases of bird flu in eight years were detected in the South of the country, German authorities have killed 13,000 birds after a strain of the virus was detected in the South.

German authorities this week confirmed that the highly pathogenic H7N7 strain of the virus had been detected, which can be transferred to humans who come into contact with infected birds.  

In July, German authorities culled over 10,000 hens after bird flu was detected at a farm in the North of the country.

Meanwhile, in France, where cases of bird flu were detected in the Dordogne late last month, and fresh cases were confirmed earlier this week, a total of ten outbreaks had been recorded by Wednesday. Seven of the cases are in the Dordogne department, most have been detected in ducks, and cases have been reported in three departments in total.  

The French cases are of the pathogenic (for birds) H5N1, H5N7 and H5N2 strains.

Though animal health agencies are conducting investigations into the source of the outbreaks, wild birds, especially migratory species, are thought to be implicated in many recent outbreaks in Europe. French agency ANSES has said that the strains detected in the South-West are thought to be of European origin, and so not the Asian strains detected in outbreaks several years ago.