Bird flu outbreak reported in central Israel

An outbreak of avian influenza was reported at a turkey farm in Magal near Netanya on Wednesday, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

The affected farm has about 40,000 birds in three coops. A closure has been issued at all coops within 10 kilometers of the affected coop. The Agriculture Ministry's veterinary services launched monitoring efforts in the area after the outbreak.

The Agriculture Ministry operates per the procedures recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and calls on poultry owners and those with pet birds to keep the birds inside.

Last week, two outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza were reported in Israel: one at a turkey farm in Tsor'a and one at a turkey farm in Ein Tzurim.

Earlier outbreaks of bird flu this season

In total, four outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in the past month, with a fifth reported earlier in the season.

Earlier in November, a case of H5N1 avian influenza was found in a marbled teal in the central Israeli city of Yehud.

The first outbreak of the season was reported in September at a petting zoo including over 200 peacocks, geese, ducks, guinea fowls, chickens, doves, and parakeets in Sde Ya'akov in northern Israel. An outbreak was later reported at a chicken coop containing 20,000 birds at Allonim in northern Israel, not far from Sde Ya’akov, and another outbreak was reported on October 10, when a black stork was found to be infected at Ein HaMifratz between Haifa and Acre.

Since 2021, Europe, the Americas, and several other locations around the world have been suffering from a nearly continuous outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza which has been described as "the largest-ever" outbreak on the three continents. The virus has affected tens of millions of birds and thousands of mammals across the world.