Overview
- The Kyffhäuserkreis outbreak was confirmed as H5N1 by Germany’s reference lab, with culling underway and protection and surveillance zones extending into the Sömmerda district.
- FLI tests identified H5N1 in a dead wild duck at Bayreuth’s Röhrensee, prompting local guidance for residents and tighter biosecurity for poultry keepers.
- Saxony reports roughly 594,000 birds dead or culled since October 2025, alongside zoo cases in Leipzig and Chemnitz and dozens of detections in wild species.
- Bavaria has recorded 326 infected wild birds since October 1, 2025, with municipalities such as Bamberg and Lichtenfels issuing public advisories and restricting contact with wildfowl.
- Polar researchers report a highly lethal H5N1 variant has spread across parts of Antarctica, with new cases in seabirds, penguins and fur seals and the potential for rapid mass die-offs.