Avian influenza spreads to Germany

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H7 in birds have been confirmed in Schwalmtal, a town near the Dutch border in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (1). The section of virus sequenced corresponds to that of the virus causing the outbreak in the Netherlands. Avian cases in this outbreak have so far been reported from the Netherlands (2), Belgium (3), and Germany (figure). Human cases reported have been in the Netherlands and Belgium (2, 3, 4).