Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Plague bird flu killed more than 2,000 wild storks in a nature reserve in Israel North. The number of dead storks is unusually high for seasonal flu.
Launch AFPOhad Hatsofe, a specialist at Israel’s Parks and Nature Authority, said another 10,000 storks may have been infected with bird flu.
The virus affects Israel every year, but this year’s outbreak is much bigger than in previous years, said Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the authority.
Naveh described the number of wild storks that died as an “extraordinary” occurrence.
As per year, some 100,000 wild cranes have reached Israel since October, most stopping in the Hula Valley, a key point in their migration route to Africa.
More than 40,000 storks are estimated to still exist in the area.
Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture said the bird flu virus had been detected in some chicken populations in northern Israel. The ministry has suspended the sale of eggs from farms affected by the virus.
The H5N1 bird flu virus is unlikely to spread between humans, but outbreaks occurred several years ago.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the H5N1 virus has killed more than 450 people, mainly in Indonesia, Egypt and Vietnam, since 2003.
(AFP / off)
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