BERLIN, Feb 28: Germany has found a dead cat infected with a form of the H5N1 bird flu virus, officials said on Tuesday, the first such case in the country and one which may fuel public fears over the disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and disease experts said the case probably did not increase the risk to humans from a virus which has killed at least 93 people since late 2003. However, one expert told owners to keep their cats indoors in regions where bird flu has been reported and added that cat to human transmission could not be totally ruled out.

Germany’s Federal Research Institute said it was still conducting tests to see whether the virus was the strain which has led to sickness and fatalities among humans in Asia.—Reuters