The Agriculture Ministry has opened a phone line for the public to report on "wandering" birds and fowl that "look ill" and on any carcasses of such c
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
The Agriculture Ministry has opened a phone line for the public to report on "wandering" birds and fowl that "look ill" and on any carcasses of such creatures. The ministry said that reports should be made to the on-duty veterinarian at (03) 968-1609 or 057-2223706.
The ministry is on the lookout for any migrating birds from Turkey or elsewhere north of Israel who took sick with avian flu en route to their wintering spots in Africa.
Dr. Moshe Haimovitz, the head of the Veterinary Service, will also meet with their counterparts in Jordan to hear about their preparations for preventing the spread of avian flu among their own birds and fowl. So far, all bird carcasses found in Israel have been found negative for avian flu.
All ministry vets and others in the private sector who deal with birds have been given special briefings on the situation and received protective equipment for handling bird carcasses. The Health and Agriculture Ministries are being updated regularly about the avian flu situation abroad.