The United Arab Emirates has banned the import of poultry and birds from the German state of Brandenburg where the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus was found in chickens, the official WAM news agency said on Tuesday. It said Acting Minister of Environment and Water Mohammed Saeed al-Kindi ordered the ban which covers all living domestic and wild birds and their products.
Authorities in the north-eastern state of Brandenburg said earlier this month that two chickens have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus. German authorities culled tens of thousands of birds after the virus was found at two farms in Bavaria earlier this year.
The virus has spread to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe since it re-emerged in Asia in 2003. About 350 people world-wide are known to have contracted the H5N1 virus, which has killed more than 200 people since 2003.