16,000 turkeys killed in Germany to stop spread of bird flu

Authorities in northern Germany have killed 16,000 turkeys and ordered 92,000 chickens slaughtered after detecting an outbreak of bird flu.

The dpa news agency reported Thursday that the outbreak of the H5N8 strain of the virus affected three poultry plants in Lower Saxony.

The H528 strain can easily spread among birds, but is not known to infect humans.

It's been found in wild birds in 12 of Germany's 16 states this year, and in poultry farms in four states.

It's also been detected in several other European countries, including Denmark, Austria and Switzerland.