Thursday, December 4
Several cats have been infected with bird flu in the Brandenburg town of Neuruppin. The Office of Consumer Protection and Agriculture have taken them into its care. In a nearby forest, another infected cat was found dead, with several dead and infected birds also discovered in the vicinity.
Bird flu, also called avian influenza, is a highly contagious and rapidly infectious fatal disease in many bird species, including poultry. It does happen occasionally that mammals can become infected with the H5N1 virus.
Bird flu has had a significant impact in Brandenburg in recent weeks, with 185,000 animals killed due to a recent outbreak. Although no new cases of bird flu in a poultry farm have been reported, the Ministry of Agriculture remains on alert, considering the dynamic situation.
Both the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute recommend that pet owners in areas with frequent reported cases do not leave their cats outside unobserved, and dogs should be kept on a leash. In general, pet owners should ensure that animals avoid direct contact with dead or sick wild birds.
