Along with discovery of two strains of avian influenza in Washington state, bird flu was reported for the first time in Italy this week, says the ThePoultrySite.com. Some 32,000 turkeys in north-eastern Italy were affected by the H5N8 virus, which can cause a high mortality rate. The news site said a new outbreak of H5N8 occurred in Lower Saxony, in Germany, with the loss of almost 18,000 birds. Avian influenza was reported in Japan and in two more sites in British Columbia.