A migratory wild flamingo discovered last week on a beach in Kuwait was carrying the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus, the BBC reports. It is the first confirmed case of the disease in the Middle East.

The milder H5N2 strain was found in an infected falcon in a shipment at Kuwait Airport.

Kuwait Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources official Mohammed al-Mihana confirmed to AP that the birds had been destroyed immediately, thereby preventing a possible spread of the virus.

Kuwait, in common with other Middle East countries, has banned wild bird and poultry imports from Asian states. ®

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