BIRD FLU SPREADS IN ISRAEL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001135

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/RA, OES/IHA, OPS CENTER
GENEVA FOR WHO REP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFLU TBIO EAGR AMGT AMED CASC KSCA KWBG IS ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY GOI INTERNAL ISRAELI PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
SUBJECT: BIRD FLU SPREADS IN ISRAEL

REF: TEL AVIV 1105

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY.

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Summary: Israeli agriculture officials confirmed
H5N1 avian influenza at two chicken farms not far from
turkey farms just outside Gaza where the outbreak of bird
flu started last week. H5N1 will likely be confirmed at a
third new location in the Negev. Birds from Moshav Kinneret
in northern Israel are reportedly being tested, with results
due shortly. Agriculture officials noted that a large
chicken farm in Gaza is only 800 meters from the turkey farm
where H5N1 was first discovered in Israel. Officials
believe the disease may have been spread via cages used to
deliver birds to a slaughter house used by all the affected
farms. The Government is considering whether to increase
compensation to poultry farmers. Resources are strained as
the GOI works to prevent AI from spreading to additional
areas. There has been a report of farmers refusing to
cooperate with authorities. The head of the veterinary
service met with Palestinian counterparts to facilitate
testing of Palestinian poultry, but the Ministry of Health
has not yet decided whether to provide protective gear to
the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian veterinary officials
have turned over carcasses of dead birds from the West Bank
for testing in Israel. An Israeli NGO with good contacts in
Gaza said that no/no cases of AI have been discovered there.
End summary.

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H5N1 JUMPS FROM TURKEYS TO CHICKENS
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2. (SBU) A Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) official told
Embassy late on March 20 that MOA had confirmed H5N1 among
chickens at Nir Oz and Amioz, near Ein Hashlosha and Hulit
where H5N1 killed turkeys earlier. On March 21, an MOA
contact said chickens had died and bird flu was suspected at
Kibbutz Gat, several kilometers north of Sde Moshe where
H5N1 has been confirmed. An MOA official noted that there
is a large chicken farm in Gaza just 800 meters from where
bird flu was first discovered at Ein Hashlosha.


3. (U) MOA officials have told Embassy that they do not
know how H5N1 first arrived in Israel. They believe it
spread quickly among farms using the same slaughter house,
because the same cages are used to transport birds from all
the affected farms and some cages apparently were not
cleaned thoroughly between trips. Some farms in central
Israel are located side by side and there is concern that AI
could spread quickly if it jumps to those areas.


4. (U) The Israeli paper Haaretz reported March 21 that
anonymous MOA sources speculated the disease entered Israel
from Egypt by a person or persons who picked up the virus on
their shoes, clothing or personal effects. The carrier may
have then worked on one of the farms where the disease has
been confirmed. Other possible carriers include visitors or
tourists returning from Turkey or Bedouin smugglers crossing
from Egypt. The pattern of spread of the disease made
infection by migratory birds less likely, the sources said.


5. (SBU) Resources are strained as the GOI works to prevent
AI from spreading to additional areas. An MOA official told
Embassy that farm workers are staying away from affected
farms, and the Ministry of Defense is providing 150 contract
personnel to help with eliminating birds in the quarantined
areas. Officials have set up roadblocks and are inspecting
vehicles on major roads surrounding those areas. Side roads
have been closed. Many poultry farms in central Israel are
located side by side and interconnected, so there is concern
that bird flu could spread more rapidly if it moved north
from the Negev. According to an online Jerusalem Post
report March 21, Moshav Kinneret in the north may have been
infected, and birds from the moshav are being tested.

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GOI MULLING ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
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6. (SBU) Agriculture sector leaders have called on Acting
Prime Minister Olmert to declare the outbreak a "natural
disaster," which could result in compensation for indirect
costs, loss of profits and rehabilitation. Farmers are
required to clean and disinfect affected areas, and to leave
them empty for a month. Some industry leaders have implied
that farmers will refuse to cooperate with authorities
unless they are given additional compensation. An Embassy
contact reported March 21 that farmers at Amioz had refused
to allow government workers to enter. At midday government
officials were speaking with the farmers to get them to
cooperate. A shipment of poultry vaccine has reportedly
arrived and is being deployed for possible use.

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POSSIBLE SHORTAGE OF KOSHER CHICKEN FOR PASSOVER
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7. (SBU) Following requests from the MOA and a private
distributor, Embassy FAS office is contacting U.S. vendors
of kosher chicken products to fill a gap now estimated at
5,000 tons. The Government has thus far stated publicly
that chicken and egg supplies will be adequate for the April
holidays.


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MOA IN CONTACT WITH PALESTINIAN VETERINARY SERVICE
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10. (SBU) The head of the Israeli Veterinary Service told
Embassy/FAS March 21 that West Bank Palestinian veterinary
officials had turned over carcasses of dead wild birds for
Israeli counterparts to test for bird flu. An Israeli NGO
with good contacts in Gaza told econoff March 21 that no/no
cases of AI have been discovered there. The Israeli
Ministry of Health is still deciding whether it can spare
protective gear to share with Palestinian offices.