Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., January 05, 2008 Tevet 27, 5768 | | Israel Time: 06:50 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File Magazine

The Binyamina chicken coop being disinfected Thursday. (Itzik Ben-Malki) Last update - 06:01 04/01/2008 Lethal strain of avian flu found in Binyamina kindergarten By Fadi Eyadat, Amiram Cohen and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents Tags: Binyamina, H5N1 virus  The avian flu that killed 18 chickens in the yard of a Binyamina kindergarten was of the lethal H5N1 strain potentially harmful to humans, the Agriculture Ministry's veterinary service announced Thursday. Eight people, including the kindergarten staff and veterinarians who inspected the site, received preventive therapy. Tests indicated that the children and their parents had not come into contact with the birds. I Advertisement n response, ministry officials culled suspect fowl at a kindergarten complex in the town, to minimize the risk to humans. In addition, the authorities banned moving animals within a 10-kilometer radius of Binyamina. Fowl within a 3-kilometer radius were culled and buried. The veterinary service has begun checking all poultry coops, petting zoos and yard fowl in Binyamina and the farming communities in the area under quarantine. The Haifa district physician, Prof. Shmuel Rishpon, praised the owner of the kindergarten, Batya Ben Asher, for calling a veterinarian instead of dumping the carcasses when 18 of the 25 chickens in a kindergarten fowl corner died. The veterinarian, Dr. Gilad Goldstein, suspected an outbreak of Newcastle fowl disease or avian flu, so he sent samples of the dead chickens to the Agriculture Ministry for examination. Meanwhile, the Poultry Breeders Association demanded an immediate increase of 25 percent in the monetary compensation for farmers, should the state order mass culling. The association's secretary, Yaakov Cohen, said the authorities were forced Thursday to destroy a flock of egg-laying hens at Moshav Beit Hanania, near Binyamina, but that the region does not have large numbers of fowl, reducing the health hazard to humans. He added that the outbreak's economic damage to farmers has not been great, and that the risk of harm to Israel's poultry export business is low. Israel reported the outbreak of avian flu to the European Union and World Health Organization, which praised it for acting promptly, Cohen said. The previous outbreak of H5N1 avian flu, in March 2006, decimated nine commercial poultry farms in Israel, but harmed no people. The Health Ministry Thursday called on people in the Binyamina area to wash their hands before handling food, and to boil poultry at 70 degrees Celsius before eating it. Related articles: Authorities suspect Kibbutz Grofit chickens have bird flu Million birds culled as H5N1 confirmed Officials confirm avian flu killed birds in Jordan Valley coop Bookmark to del.icio.us   A second visit? Peres invites Bush to visit Israel in May for Independence Day. After Iowa Is there room for both McCain and Giuliani's campaigns?   1.   izzy cause famine in gaza gets plage in Binyamina 16:38  |  muslim 03/01/08   2.   #1 Israel isnt going to fall because a few chickens died 18:41  |  Matt 03/01/08   3.   Israel`s Bird Flu 04:58  |  Lofi 04/01/08

Today Online Amos Harel: Israel is not the only one exercising restraint Responses: 162 Ramon: Crackdown on outposts likely to start after Bush visit Responses: 126 Wiesenthal Center calls on UN to focus on suicide bombings Responses: 210 Editorial: The IDF is an army that has ceased to function as an army Responses: 152 Qassam causes damage to home in Sderot; IDF kills 2 Hamas men Responses: 116 Rosner's Domain Is there room for both McCain and Giuliani? New poll: Obama, Huckabee, who's better for Israel? The Judaism of Alicia Silverstone (WTR) Rosner's Guest: How to raise Jewish children The green line is turning red More Headlines 01:51 Meshal: No compromise on terms for Shalit deal 01:18 Qassam causes damage to home in Sderot; IDF kills 2 Hamas men 05:17 Palestinian PM lambasts Israel over West Bank arrest raids 22:20 After Iowa: Is there room for both McCain and Giuliani? 02:52 Replica of Anne Frank annex opens inside Liverpool church 21:20 U.S. President George Bush is likely to visit Israel again in May 19:34 Sinai lawmaker calls for calm after Bedouin man shot outside his home near the Israeli border 09:07 Wiesenthal Center calls on UN to formally address suicide attacks 19:05 Poll: Fatah losing support among West Bank, Gaza Palestinians 19:29 Bush, Jordan's king confer by phone over Mideast peace process Previous Editions Select Day 04 jan 03 jan 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 28 dec 27 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec 23 dec

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