First bird flu outbreak of season detected in northern poultry coop, ministry says
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
The season’s first outbreak of bird flu has been identified at Moshav Nahalal in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel, the Agriculture Ministry announces.
The disease is discovered in a nine-building poultry coop containing 8,700 14-week-old turkeys.
All poultry houses within a range of 10 kilometers (six miles) have been quarantined.
The ministry says the strain of flu identified carries a low risk for illness in humans, provided that precautions are taken and infected fowl are dealt with by professionals with appropriate protection.
Bird flu outbreaks have been reported overseas in recent weeks, in countries including France, Germany, Poland and the US.
Between September and December last year, there were five cases of bird flu — starting in Moshav Sde Ya’akov in the north. Four kibbutzim were affected.
Since March 2006, when the first cases of bird flu were discovered in Israel, bird flu has been discovered almost every year during the bird migration season.
The Agriculture Ministry urges consumers to buy poultry meat and eggs only from regulated retailers and to cook the products well.
