Lebanon Issues H5N1 Alert
Recombinomics Commentary 09:11
January 8, 2008
"After cases of bird-flu were detected ... in the region of Haifa ... the Agriculture Ministry of calls on farmers and hunters ... particularly in the Southern area close to the border with occupied Palestine, to remain vigilant against birds passing over their regions, and to keep their own birds caged to prevent them from mixing," the statement said.
The above comments define some of the steps being taken by Lebanon in response to the recent confirmation of H5N1 in northern Israel. The H5N1 in Israel follows outbreaks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Saudi Arabia has now culled over 5 million birds, and culling in Egypt is also active. Five human cases have been confirmed in Egypt, and the number of suspect patients hospitalized in Egypt continues to grow.
The recent outbreaks reflect migration of wild birds through the area. Last season reports of H5N1 were limited to Kuwait and Egypt. However, this year there was more H5N1 reported in Europe in the fall, raising expectations of more reported outbreaks in the Middle East. Earlier alerts were issue in Jordan and Bahrain (in addition to plans announced in Saudi Arabia and Egypt).
It is likely that H5N1 has spread throughout the Middle East, and more outbreaks will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
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