Bird flu feared in Israel after fowl found dead in south

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"The results of lab tests carried out on some of the 1,000 turkeys that died on Thursday in two southern communities confirm that the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu has reached Israel, Health Ministry sources told Haaretz.

There has not, however, been any official confirmation that the virus has arrived in Israel. If the results are confirmed, this would be the first time that the deadly virus which has claimed more than 100 lives across the world has been detected in Israeli birds.

As soon as the deaths were reported, the veterinary authorities imposed a quarantine on the two Negev communities where the birds were found dead: Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha and Kibbutz Holit.

"We have imposed a quarantine with a radius of seven kilometers around the area, and in case our suspicions are confirmed, we are prepared for a wide-scale destruction of the flocks in a radius of three kilometers," Boim said."

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