Germany has reported an unusual outbreak of highly pathogenic H7N5 bird flu on a farm in the western region of the country, near the Dutch border, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The outbreak resulted in the death of 6,000 out of 90,879 birds in Bad Bentheim, Lower Saxony. WOAH, based in Paris, indicated that the outbreak was detected on June 29 and confirmed on July 2, based on a report from German officials.

The H7N5 strain differs from the H5N1 strain, which has significantly impacted bird populations and spread to mammals and some humans globally. According to WOAH's public records on global animal disease outbreaks, which date back to 2005, this is the first reported outbreak of H7N5.

In recent months, avian influenza has affected turkey flocks, layer flocks, and backyard chickens in Germany. Of the 63 cases detected in wild birds, 44 were in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, while the remaining cases were spread across seven other states. Two of these cases were confirmed to be the H5N5 virus serotype, with the rest identified as the H5N1 variant.

According to Germany's veterinary reference laboratory, the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute (FLI), the ongoing national disease risk assessment remains at a "high" level due to various observed trends. FLI's risk assessment also considers the six million poultry lost to the disease across Europe since last autumn. Additionally, infections have been confirmed in various wild bird species, with waterfowl near the North Sea and the Baltic Sea being particularly affected.