DPA/Schwerin, Germany

German researchers said on Monday that they had established a link between a dangerous strain of bird flu discovered in northeastern Germany with a strain in South Korea.
The virus found in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern appeared related to a H5N8 strain discovered in South Korea, the German institute for animal health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) said.
South Korea, which has had four H5N8 outbreaks over the past decade, has culled hundreds of thousands of birds to curb the spread of the virus.
The discovery of the virus on a German poultry farm near the town of Heinrichswalde led to the slaughter of about 31,000 turkeys.
A smaller number of geese, chickens and ducks were also killed.
A 3km restricted area has been established around the farm after what was the first case of bird flu for some time.
Investigations of the genetic material found at the farm had not been completed, said FLI spokeswoman Elke Reinking.
It has also remained unclear how the virus had made its way to the farm.
A H5N8 case has so far not been reported on the 8,000km route between South Korea and Central Europe, researchers said. “We know from our experience that it is often the case that the exact reason for the virus’s entry into an area cannot be determined because the links in the chain are no longer clear,” the FLI spokeswoman said.