Earlier this week, the Staten Serum Institute confirmed the first case of the serious H5N5 bird flu in Denmark.

Now it has emerged that hundreds of wild birds have been found dead in south-Jutland – and the suspect is the H5N8 strain, which is very deadly for birds.

The nature agency, Naturstyrelsen, revealed that samples from four barnacle geese and one hooded seagull have tested positive for H5N8.

READ ALSO: Bird flu discovered in Denmark

Report, but don’t touch
In response, the government has issued an alert to poultry and fowl owners, warning them to keep their animals confined.

And while there haven’t been any reports of bird flu being transmitted to humans in Europe, the authorities warned the public to stay away from wild birds.

“We’ve seen children playing with a weakened goose that had crashed to the ground. We want to ask everyone who comes across dead birds to avoid touching them, so they don’t spread the virus,” wrote Fødevarestyrelsen.

Instead, the public is urged to report dead bird findings on the app FugleInfluezaTip.