Israeli officials say avian flu has been confirmed in two more southern Israel farming communities, bringing to six the number of such sites.
Poultry growers' associations Monday were demanding the government declare the outbreak a natural disaster, allowing additional compensation to farmers. The associations say bird flu might cause Israel's poultry industry to collapse, leaving thousands of people without a livelihood, the Ha'aretz newspaper reported Monday.
Israeli veterinary officials confirmed Sunday the bird flu virus that has struck in southern Israel is the lethal H5N1 strain, which may pose a danger to people who come into regular contact with the fowl.
The virus was found at the Kibbutz Nir Oz and Moshav Amioz, both types of farming communities located within about six miles of the location where the virus was first discovered, Ynetnews.com said.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Interferon as long-term treatment for hepatitis C not effective
Use of the drug interferon as a long-term maintenance strategy to slow the progression of liver disease associated with the hepatitis C virus is ineffective, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers and their colleagues from nine other institutions have found in a multicenter study.
Feed a cold, feed a fever: Research shows calorie cut makes it harder to fight flu
Dieters or those who consume fewer calories during flu season could have a harder time fighting off the flu virus, according to research by Michigan State University nutritional immunology professor Elizabeth Gardner.
New type of vaccines deliver stronger and faster immune response
A new vaccine principle is being developed by scientists at the University of Copenhagen which – if it works to its full expected potential – could help to save millions of lives and revolutionise current vaccine technology. The 'InVacc' platform, as it is known, represents an advance on the original DNA vaccines and generates new vaccines with greatly enhanced properties. The platform consists of a chain of amino acids attached to a gene of the virus being vaccinated against. This genetic cocktail is then inserted into an incapacitated flu-like virus such as the adenovirus and injected into the body, where it triggers a broader and more aggressive immune response, enabling the immune system to quickly seek out and destroy the disease when it invades.
Fall babies: Born to wheeze?
It is said that timing is everything, and that certainly appears to be true for autumn infants. Children who are born four months before the height of cold and flu season have a greater risk of developing childhood asthma than children born at any other time of year, according to new research.
Scientists fight stem rust UG99 before it becomes a threat
(PhysOrg.com) -- Wheat breeders and plant pathologists at Montana State University are part of a global effort to develop varieties of wheat resistant to a new fungus. UG99, a stem rust strain that was first discovered in Africa and is slowly creeping towards the United States, could be devastating to Montana's wheat industry.
Flu deaths could be reduced thanks to cancer research
(PhysOrg.com) -- Cells involved in the body’s immune response to cancer are also implicated in influenza infection and could be targeted in new flu vaccination strategies, scientists at Oxford University have discovered.
Thailand confirms second bird flu case
Thailand has confirmed a second case of bird flu in less than a week, a senior agriculture official said Thursday.
Recovering antibodies from 1918 flu pandemic survivors
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ninety years after the sweeping destruction of the 1918 flu pandemic, researchers at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt have recovered antibodies to the virus — from elderly survivors of the original outbreak.