Israel: The outbreak of pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was discovered at a chicken farm near Israel's border with Lebanon, according to a statement from the state's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. According to a source, the bird flu has spread to egg-laying hen coops in the village of Margaliot.

The flu was detected after increased mortality of chickens on the farm and laboratory testing. The Ministry of Agriculture isolated the farm, which housed 244,000 chickens, halted egg sales from it, and conducted tests at other nearby coop farms.

The coops in the area sell about six million eggs per month, out of the 200 million eggs consumed in Israel each month. H5N1 bird flu can also infect other animals such as pigs, cats, and tigers, as well as humans in rare cases. In humans, the first signs of bird flu are usually severe respiratory illness and fever.

H5N1 bird flu has recently been found in coops in northern and southern Israel. The Ministry reported dozens of wild cranes infected with H5N1 in the northeastern Hula Valley on December 16.

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