Israel orders destruction of turkey flocks

Israeli officials ordered the destruction of turkey flocks in three farming communities following bird flu tests, the Agriculture Ministry said today.

Meanwhile, three people from one of those communities have been admitted to a southern Israeli hospital on suspicion of contracting bird flu.

There has been no definite confirmation of a first outbreak in Israel of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. But preliminary tests after 11,000 turkeys died indicate “a very high chance that this is avian flu,” Health Minister Yaakov Edri said.