Israel: 2000 birds died from bird flu in less than a week

Officials from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority said on Sunday that more than 2,000 birds have died in Israel due to bird flu in a large nature reserve in the north of the country.

“So far, 2,000 wild birds have died and an estimated 10,000 have been injured,” Ohad Hatsovi, an expert on bird environment in the authority, told AFP. “Currently, it is estimated that one fifth of the crane population in Israel has contracted bird flu,” said Uri Naveh, deputy director of the scientific department at this organization. He said that there are cases identified every year in Israel, “but this year it is more important,” he asserts, and the number of animals killed since Monday is “exceptional.”

Since October and like every year, more than 100,000 wild birds have arrived in Israel and the majority stop in the Hula Valley in the north of the country to rest before taking off again into the air. About 40,000 remained in Israel, most of them in this valley before resuming their way to the breeding grounds from March. Other outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza were detected in farming communities in northern Israel with chicken coops.

On Sunday, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture announced the suspension of the marketing of eggs from these farms. He further stated that he was in the process of taking measures to import eggs in order to meet the possible shortage.

While the risk of bird flu transmission to humans is very low, experts from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority say experts, the H5N1 virus strain can be dangerous if caught from humans. “It’s fatal in 36% to 50% of those infected,” says Ohad Hatsofe.