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H5N1 Found in Cats in Brandenburg as Germany Adjusts Bird Flu Controls

Officials urge pet restrictions in hotspots, citing very low risk to people.

Overview

  • Authorities in Ostprignitz-Ruppin confirmed several H5N1 infections in cats near Neuruppin after a dead cat and nearby wild birds tested positive.
  • The county and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut advise keeping cats from roaming in areas with wild bird die-offs and leashing dogs to avoid contact with carcasses or droppings, with human transmission assessed as highly unlikely.
  • Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis extended its legally binding poultry housing requirement to 16 December following additional wild-bird detections in the district.
  • Testing continues to find infected wild birds, including a goose in Düsseldorf confirmed positive on 3 December, while Niederrhein districts keep protection and monitoring zones and a broad stall requirement in place.
  • Producers face ongoing losses, with recent culls such as about 66,000 ducks in Anhalt-Bitterfeld and 1,700 turkeys in Kevelaer, alongside year-to-date totals exceeding 1.6 million birds in Lower Saxony and roughly 185,000 in Brandenburg, even as some areas in Saxony-Anhalt lift measures.