This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

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.