German officials find H5N1 in domestic bird

German officials today said they had discovered the H5N1 bird flu virus in domestic poultry for the first time this year but said the danger was small.

A domestic goose in the town of Wickersdorf in the state of Thuringia was found to be infected with the virus, the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute said.

Institute spokeswoman Elke Reinking said the danger of infection spreading in the surrounding area was small because the infected bird lived on a small hobby farm in a remote area.

Nine other birds at the same place were killed as a precaution.