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צילום: עידו ארז
Bird flu scare prompts mass culling in south
Agriculture Ministry orders destruction of 50,000 turkeys after H5N1 virus is detected in two poultry farms
Some 50,000 turkeys were culled in southern Israel Friday after they were diagnosed as carrying the H5N1 bird flu virus.
Two outbreaks of the virus were detected: The first in a poultry farm in Moshav Shalva, south of Kiryat Gat, and the second in Kibbutz Holit, which is a part of the Eshkol Regional Council.
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Dr. Nadav Galon, the Agriculture Ministry's chief veterinarian ordered the culling, as well as a quarantine of all animals within a six-mile radius of each outbreak.
The last bird flu outbreak is Israel was in 2011, when it was detected in three poultry farms.
Ilana Curiel contributed to this report
