Bird flu reaches Israel

Israels Health Ministry confirmed on Friday, March 17th 2006, that the virus responsible for the recent deaths of approximately 11,000 turkeys at the (Negev) kibbutzim of Holit and Ein Hashlosha was the H5 strain (and not H5N1, which is more infectious).

The same strain was identified at Kibbutz Nachshon (located halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem) following an unusual amount of poultry deaths.

But the results of a second second, stricter test are expected to provide a definitive confirmation of the virus.

Israel decided not to wait for the results of that second test and authorities began preparations Friday to slaughter tens of thousands of birds suspected of being infected by bird flu.

Five members of the southern kibbutz of Ein Hashlosha were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva in fear they contracted the bird flu virus.

Israel has had sporadic cases of avian flu in wild birds, but not of the specific H5N1 strain.

The H5N1 virus was detected in neighboring Egypt last month.

(more)

[edit on 17-3-2006 by Riwka]

Originally posted by Riwka

the H5 strain (and not H5N1, which is more infectious).

H5N1 or not H5N1? - BBC reports that it was the H5N1. Several people have been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms as well. They are preparing to kill another 300,000 birds over the coming days.


As a sidenote: The bird flu virus is spreading in Denmark as well. Another nine ducks has been found with H5N1. They were found at a different location than the buzzard with H5N1 which they recently found.

Bingo! The trail was too obvious. Better put on a show at home to throw them off your back. Just a pawn, the real levers are in the UK.

The EU is halting the import of poultry from Israel, and Israel isn't waiting for the tougher tests to confirm it is H5N1; the authorities are seriously looking at killing a whole mess of birds in order to cut this off at the pass.

It isn't just Israel; they are figuring this came from eitehr Gaza or Egypt.

The H5N1 virus was detected in neighboring Egypt last month, and Agriculture Minister Ze'ev Boim said that the death of the birds in southern Israel might indicate that the disease entered the country from Egypt.

At any rate, it seems to be a bad scene.

"They're dropping like flies. I've never seen anything like it," said Dr. Yariv Agur, an expert on avian diseases who visited the Holit coops on Thursday.

www.haaretz.com...

Fortunately, the people hospitalized do not have the disease, tests revealed.

Bird flu had in all likelihood spread to two more communities in the western Negev, located within a 10-kilometer (~ 6.21-mile) radius from the farms that have already been infected.

The Defense Ministry is set to help in the burial of the hundreds of thousand of birds being culled. The Finance Ministry is expected to submit a proposal for sources to finance the NIS 15 - 20 million (~ US$ 3.2 - 4.2 million) allotted to compensate farmers following the extermination of ~ 900,000 birds. (more)