A dead greylag goose on Lake Cospuden near Leipzig has been found to have avian influenza. This was announced by the Veterinary and Food Inspection Office of the City of Leipzig on Wednesday. Most recently, cases of avian influenza were detected around Lake Markkleeberg, which is not far from Lake Cospuden. The animal was reportedly found on the northern shore of Lake Cospuden on March 15, and the infection was then confirmed by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute on Tuesday.
As the virus spreads very easily, direct contact between pets and dead or sick animals should be avoided at all costs, the city added.
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is an infectious disease that occurs mainly in waterfowl and other birds. Experts fear that the virus is increasingly adapting to mammals and could therefore also become dangerous to humans. Infections have also been detected in mammals such as seals, raccoons, bears, martens and minks in recent months.
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