A third outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian flu, which is potentially lethal to humans, was confirmed this month in Germany's Brandenburg region outside Berlin, a veterinarian official said Wednesday. Fifteen chickens kept in a coop in Heiligengrabe-Blumenthal tested positive and were slaughtered, Matthias Rott said.
A security zone of three kilometres (1.8 miles) was put in place in keeping with European Union standards. There have been two earlier confirmed outbreaks of avian flu in Brandenburg.