Israel detected its first cases of H5N1 bird flu today. One person has been hospitalised with a suspected infection and thousands of turkeys and chickens had to be culled.
Bird flu has spread with alarming speed in recent weeks across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia, stoking fears the virus could mutate into a form that could easily pass from person to person, triggering a pandemic in which millions could die.
Agriculture Officials said they were double-checking the results and expected final confirmation soon. Hundreds of thousands of fowl might need to be destroyed to contain the outbreak, discovered on two communal farms located near the Gaza Strip, they added.
A Thai national who worked in the coops on one of the farms was admitted to hospital after complaining of flu-like symptoms. Although hard to catch, people can contract bird flu after coming into contact with infected birds.
The World Health Organisation says 98 people have died from H5N1 to date.
Meanwhile tests were also being carried out on a Serbian boy from a village near the border with Bosnia where bird flu had been identified in birds.