The recent outbreak of bird flu, which has already killed thousands of cranes, is one of the worst natural disasters Israel has seen today. The H5N1 strain has already infected over 1 million chickens and caused severe illness in some 8,000 cranes.
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The source of the flu appears to be in Europe. Every year, approximately half a billion migrating birds fly through Israel from Europe. According to authorities in Israel, the flu spread when migratory birds used the same water sources as local fowl.
As of Friday, environmental and wildlife authorities have identified 20 localized outbreaks at chicken coops throughout Israel. The Agriculture Ministry reported that all the hotspots had been quarantined and most had completed the flu treatment protocol.
Officials in the Agriculture Ministry said Friday that the event "was returning to a size we can control."
However, there was growing concern that Israel could see a 10% shortfall in its egg supply and a 2.4% shortfall in the supply of organic eggs. In response, Agriculture Minister Oded Forer ordered that caps on egg imports be lifted.
Ornithologist Dr. Motti Charter from the Shamir Research Institute said, "The extent of mortality among the cranes is scary. We still don't know the full extent of the damage, if we count other birds, because they die in far-off, sparsely populated places."
"It's very important to understand what birds have been infected, so we know how the flu is transmitted. Luckily, it's not too late. We must document everything – wild animals, birds, mammals, those that live on land and in the war, so we'll know enough a month from now. The biggest danger is the risk of a mutation … Until then, we can't solve the problem because we can't keep birds out of the sky. We could see birds falling out of the sky," Charter warned.
Dr. Roni King, a veterinarian with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, addressed the risk of the bird flu affecting humans.
"There is certainly a risk of a pandemic, but we don't foresee human mortality in Israel as long as there continues not to be close contact between humans and birds," King said.
The Agriculture Ministry stressed that the public should avoid any contact with chickens or wild birds. Anyone who encounters a sick bird or a bird carcass is urged to call a ministry hotline (*6016), which operates 24/7.
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