Europe is experiencing its worst-ever bird flu outbreak, according to a German government research institute.

"We are currently experiencing the strongest avian flu epidemic ever in Germany and Europe," the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), Germany's Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

New cases are detected daily and it is not only wild birds being affected, according to the institute.

"There is no end in sight – the countries affected range from Finland to the Faroe Islands to Ireland, from Russia to Portugal," according to researchers. Cases have also been found in Canada, India and East Asia.

In Germany alone, 394 infections have been recorded in wild birds including ducks, geese, swans and seagulls between the start of October and Dec. 29. The cases were detected primarily along the coast. FLI also recorded 46 infections at German poultry farms.

In the same timeframe across Europe, the FLI data showed 675 infections in wild birds and 534 infections in livestock. There were also additional cases in mammals this year, for example among red foxes in the Netherlands and Finland, gray seals in Sweden, harbor seals in Germany and otters in Finland.

In the Czech Republic, authorities said Tuesday that some 80,000 hens were due to be culled after more than 100,000 animals died of bird flu since late last week.

The farm in Libotenice, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Prague, had a total of 188,000 hens before Christmas.

"The culling of hens from halls affected by bird flu is under way," State Veterinary Administration spokesperson Petr Majer told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "The numbers show that this strain, the highly pathogenic H5N1, is very aggressive and kills hens in particular fast and on a mass scale," he added. He said vets would also destroy over a million eggs from the farm.

The Czech Republic has registered 48 outbreaks of bird flu this year, the highest number in a calendar year in history. The disease is currently plaguing Europe, with France reporting an outbreak in its foie gras producing Landes region last week.

"Clinical signs leave no doubt and it was decided to cull the flock" on Saturday, the day after the outbreak was identified, Marie-Helene Cazaubon, head of the Landes chamber of agriculture, said nearly two weeks ago.

Local authorities have established a 3-kilometer protection zone and a 10-kilometer surveillance zone around the farm. It is the second outbreak detected in the southwest since a major epidemic last year led to the culling of 2.5 million ducks and geese.

Early last month health authorities asked organic and open-air poultry raisers to confine their fowl as a measure to avoid contact with migratory birds that might carry the virus.

"We are in a migratory corridor through which birds fly from northern Europe... and we must be very vigilant," said Cazaubon, herself a duck farmer.

Cazaubon noted that most of the ducks and geese have already been slaughtered for their fatty liver, to be made into the famous foie gras pate popular during the holiday season.

The tradition runs deep in France, but it is controversial because the birds are force-fed in order to fatten their livers artificially.

About a quarter of French foie gras comes from the Landes, which counts around 800 farms, mainly raising ducks.

Another outbreak of bird flu has been detected in a rural county in East Anglia in England. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) the H5N1 was found in the Watlington area, near King's Lynn.

Temporary 3-kilometer and 10-kilometer surveillance zones have been deployed around the affected areas.

A previous case of avian influenza was found in poultry at Holkham. Two cases of avian influenza were detected in Essex last month.

In northern Israel, the flu has killed at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forced farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain what they say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nation's history.

Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, said the situation is not yet under control.

"Many of the birds are dead in the middle of the water body so it's difficult for them to be taken out," he said.

Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the crisis "the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country."

"The extent of the damage is still unclear," she tweeted.

Yaron Michaeli, spokesperson for the Hula Lake Park, where the crane population is centered, said workers were removing the carcasses as quickly as possible, fearing they could infect other wildlife.

Dafna Yurista, spokesperson for the Agriculture Ministry, said half a million chickens in the area were being slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.

About 500,000 cranes pass through Israel each year on the way to Africa and a small number stay behind, Michaeli said. This year, an estimated 30,000 cranes stayed in Israel for the winter.

Michaeli said it is believed that the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms suffering from outbreaks.

Israeli media carried photos of workers in white hazmat suits collecting crane carcasses after the birds were first found to be sick about 10 days ago. Michaeli said the death toll among cranes appears to have stabilized in recent days.

"This is a good sign," he said. "They might be starting to get over this. We hope very much."

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said officials from the agriculture, environment and health ministries were monitoring the situation. There was no immediate information about infections among people, it said. The cleanup is going more slowly than expected.

"We are trying to see if there's any other solutions," Naveh said.