Thursday, March 16, 2006
Israel quarantines bird flu outbreak area
Israeli authorities set-up roadblocks to quarantine the area around two western communities where there are signs that the bird flu virus has struck. Authorities earlier today said that initial tests confirmed bird flu was the cause of death of more than 1,000 turkeys at Kibbutz Ein HaShalosha and Kibbutz Holit.
They also said that further tests were needed to determine if it was the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus. H5N1 is the strain that passes from bird to human and has caused over 100 human deaths worldwide.
The Agriculture Ministry has called an emergency session about the current virus outbreak. Minister Ze’ev Boim (Kadima) said the quarantine area includes seven kilometers (4.3 miles) around the farms. He added that plans have been made to destroy flocks in the area if veterinarians confirm suspicions that this is the H5N1 strain.