A deadly strain of the bird flu virus has infected chickens in
northern Israel, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on
its website on Thursday.
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According to the report, the virus was found at a kindergarten
petting zoo in the northern Israeli city of Binyamina, more than
ten kilometers south to the city of Haifa.
The report said 18 of the 25 chickens in the petting zoo were
found dead earlier Thursday morning.
The Haifa District Physician Prof. Shmuel Rishpon confirmed that
the chickens were infected by the H5N1 bird flue virus.
Rishpon was quoted as saying that "The kindergarten staff has
been given preventive medicines and as far as we know, none of the
children or their parents came in contact with the birds."
He added that the virus can only be transmitted by direct
contact, and the hospitals in the area have been alerted to look
out for any children or adults coming in with bird flu-like
symptoms.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli Agriculture Ministry
announced it was putting all chicken coops and hatcheries within a
six-mile (9.6 kilometers) radius under quarantine.
The Ministry's poultry disease division was quoted as saying
that it is testing all poultry in the quarantined area, but so far
have no further reports on any dead birds."
(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2008)