January 4, 2008

Israel reports new H5N1 bird flu outbreak in poultry 
 

Israel announced on Thursday (January 3, 2008) it had detected the H5N1 strain of bird flu that is dangerous to humans in poultry near a kindergarten in a northern town on the Mediterranean coast.

The Agriculture Ministry said 18 contaminated birds had been found dead in a pets' corner near a kindergarten in the town of Binyamina.

A series of tests had confirmed the fowl died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, the ministry said in a statement, adding that a situation room had been set up to try to prevent the spread of the virus.

Authorities have banned the transport of animals within a three-kilometer radius of Binyamina, a coastal town north of Tel Aviv, as a precaution.