Avian influenza is spreading in the Hula Reservoir and has claimed many lives: According to the Nature and Parks Authority, due to the spread of avian influenza in the northern region, thousands of birds have died or been injured so far in the Hula Reed, which serves as an active center for migrating hundreds of species and tens of thousands of birds and birds.
Infected chicken coops have also been found in the area, and the Ministry of Agriculture is still investigating the extent of the phenomenon. According to the Ministry of Agriculture so far,In the last three days 27 chicken coops have been destroyed, and another 33 chicken coops are now facing death. At present, 244,000 laying hens will die in 60 chicken coops. In addition, a separate unit of 320,000 ingots is being tested for which infection is suspected.
The Nature and Parks Authority claims that this is “the most serious incident involving wildlife in years.” It is believed that bird flu came to Israel with migratory birds, including cranes and pelicans, but it is not possible to determine with certainty at this stage who the distributor is.
The bird flu strain identified in the Hula Valley and in farms in the area (H5N1), can in exceptional cases cause illness in humans as well, so in a joint decision with the Ministry of Health and Agriculture, the Hula Reserve will be closed from tomorrow until December 28, to prevent visitors from exposure to risks.
Professionals in the Ministries of Agriculture and Environmental Protection are working with the Nature and Parks Authority to stop the chain of infection, and prevent the continued outbreak that endangers the natural systems in northern Israel and the severe damage to wildlife.
Exceptional contagion volumes
Avian influenza was first documented in Israel in 2006 in the south of the country, and since then it has appeared every few years in other areas, with the understanding that the infection came from migratory birds. However, these are now very unusual levels of infection that professionals do not remember.
Within a few days, at least 1,800 cranes died in the lake area, with a large portion of the carcasses inside the body of water. Professionals in the area say that many bodies of cranes are scattered in the reedbed area, and that naturally – other animals living in the area are at increasing risk. During these days many sick and weak cranes were documented who came to the settlements and near people.
At the beginning of December 2021, about 40,000 healthy cranes were documented in the Hula Valley. The mass deaths of thousands of them, could also harm the ecosystem in the area. According to a sample test by Prof. Ran Natan among cranes carrying a transmitter, it is possible that a significant percentage of the population in the Hula Valley are likely to become infected and die.
The high density of individuals in feeding areas, and accommodation within the reedbed, contributes to the rapid transmission of the disease. On the other hand, it seems that due to the weakness of the cranes, a minority of them move to other parts of the country, although this is possible.
Guy Ayalon, director of the Northern District of the Nature and Parks Authority, talks about the difficult sights and feelings in the field: The family migration teaches the youngsters the secrets of migration and helps them to overcome the difficult challenges especially in the first year. “Many young cranes whose parents died of the flu, when they were lonely and unintentional, and apparently they will not survive, even though they were not infected with the flu.”
Acute condition of the ecosystem
How will the ecosystem in the area be affected by the event, which the Nature and Parks Authority describes as the most dramatic and largest in the wildlife arena in the country? “There is an acute situation here,” says Dr. Amit Dolev, an ecologist in the Northern District of the Nature and Parks Authority. Here, the question arises as to what will happen next. Will more migratory birds be harmed, and will the disease spread to other areas of the country.
“We are currently continuing with the feeding project in the Hula Valley so as not to encourage more than other areas. This virus, which is a respiratory virus, is transmitted by faeces. Birds of prey and mammals can eat the carcasses and become infected. Then, we talk about spread among other animals Rare in the country in the valley. So are otters, badgers and pigs. We currently have no evidence on the matter. Beyond that, we have no idea how it affects the body of water itself in terms of whether the virus survives in the water, how much it is administered and how it affects further. “Certainty. Collecting the injured animal is also a very complex business. Such an injury to the wildlife population, we do not know.”
A deadly disease that passes quickly in coops
Avian influenza is a viral disease that affects birds. The virus is transmitted by contact with infected birds or their secretions. Migratory birds are known as a vector for transmitting the disease to different areas in their migration. Great.
The strain currently present in Israel (H5N1) is defined as a violent strain, capable in very exceptional cases of infecting humans. The clinical course of seasonal flu can manifest itself in a variety of clinical symptoms, ranging from a mild illness to a serious illness that includes primary viral pneumonia, rapid progression to respiratory failure, multi-systemic injury and mortality of up to 60%, according to the Ministry of Health.
During the day, there was concern about the exposure of 20 students from Hatzor HaGlilit to bird flu. A classmate who visited the reedbed on Sunday caressed a crane that turned blue. The students are being monitored by the Safed Health Bureau, and so far no signs of illness have been reported – according to the Ministry of Health. Human infection is a rare occurrence, but for the sake of caution, a person who has been exposed to a sick animal receives preventive treatment with pills, as well as in the case in question.
Infected cranes have also been found in nearby Kiryat Shmona, and as is well known, bird flu is also spreading on farms in the area. According to a letter from the Ministry of Health to district physicians and hospital directors throughout the country, there has recently been an increase in wild bird mortality and infection with farm birds in bird flu, in the Northern District but also in the Haifa and Ashkelon districts. Although the disease can infect humans in rare cases and thus infection from person to person is not common at all, doctors have been instructed to perform tests if they encounter a suspicious case.
In Moshav Neot Golan near the Sea of Galilee, bird flu was discovered in a chicken coop containing about 17,000 turkeys. The Ministry of Agriculture isolated the farm, and began preparatory activities for the treatment of the outbreak center – the destruction of the entire coop, and the compensation of the farmers.
Earlier this week, a case of bird flu was also discovered in pearls (224,000 laying hens), and since then monitoring has been carried out on all the farms and poultry farms in the area. Luli Margaliot, according to the Ministry of Health, markets 6 million eggs a month in the local market (out of 200 million eggs consumed a month in Israel). Recently, bird flu was also identified in Kfar Baruch, Kibbutz Ein Tzurim, Avigdor, Maayan Zvi and Nahalal.
The Ministry of Health clarifies the routine guidelines before consuming chicken and egg products: the public is required to make sure to purchase only in regulated places and eggs are sealed with an inspection stamp. Care should be taken to thoroughly cook eggs and chicken, maintain hygiene and wash hands after contact with the meat or eggs and separate food from the animal before cooking it with other foods.
The Nature and Parks Authority states that in case the public identifies species of injured or dead birds in the area, all contact with them and their secretions should be avoided, and this should be reported immediately to the Nature and Parks Authority’s hotline numbered 3639 *.