- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Bird Flu Outbreak in Israel: 107,000 Turkeys Infected

Israel’s Agriculture Ministry announced Wednesday that it had detected a new outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza on a farm in the village of Aviel, near the coastal town of Caesarea, where 107,000 turkeys were found to be infected. This follows the discovery Tuesday of 62,500 infected turkeys in the northern village of Ram On; and the detection Monday of 42,000 infected turkeys in Nahalal, an agricultural community about 14 miles southeast of Haifa. On Sunday, outbreaks were reported in the towns of Gadish, where 7,400 chickens were infected, and Ne’ot Golan, where the ministry reported 14,000 infected turkeys. The virus has devastated the poultry industry and migrating bird populations. The outbreaks resulted in the killing of hundreds of thousands of turkeys and chickens and caused an egg shortage in Israel. The H5N1 bird flu can also infect other animals such as cats and pigs, and in rare cases, humans.