Officials in Niger report a new outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Government officials Friday said tests have confirmed the presence of H5N1 in the village of Boko Maigao, in southern Niger.

Thousands of birds were slaughtered after scientists detected H5N1 in two other parts of southern Niger back in February.

Several west African countries are grappling with outbreaks of the disease, including Niger's neighbors Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

No human cases have been detected in the area, though the disease is believed to have killed at least 124 people around the world since 2003.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.