Germany has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus on a poultry farm in the northern part of the country, Reuters reported, citing the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on Wednesday. The outbreak adds to a wave of cases in Europe.

The outbreak killed five poultry among a flock of 24,000 on a farm in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern east of Hamburg, the Paris-based WOAH said in a report, citing German authorities.

Avian influenza, which has led to the culling of hundreds of millions birds in the past years, usually strikes in Europe during autumn and winter. It has recently been detected on farms in several countries including the Netherlands, Italy, Croatia and Hungary.