Germany finds case of low-risk bird flu in birds in park

HAMBURG – A case of the low-risk bird flu strain H7N3 has been found in two pheasants in a park in Mannheim, Germany, the city's council said on Wednesday.

Six pheasants, 26 ducks and two peacocks have been culled as a precautionary measure, the council said. Checks on further birds in the park are being carried out.

Low-risk bird flu was also found on a German farm in July 2015. Wild migrating birds can carry the virus and transmit it to others through their feathers or faeces.

The different and highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain has spread across several West African countries in the past two years, hitting poultry farms in Togo, Niger and Cameroon.

Cases were also reported in Iraq.

A case of high-risk bird flu was discovered in a wild duck in the United States in August.

(Reporting by Michael Hogan, editing by Jason Neely)