Fear of bird flu in southern Israel

JERUSALEM, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Israeli agricultural officials quarantined poultry at a kibbutz in southern Israel until "suspicious" avian flu test results have been analyzed.

Dr. Moshe Haimovitch, head of the national Veterinary Services, told Ynetnews results of whether the H5N1 virus is present won't be known until Friday.

"We are currently conducting peripheral tests that are part of sample tests done in a bid to map the country, in compliance with international requirements," Haimovitch said. "When we receive a suspicious result, we run the test again. This has happened many times before and is only being done for safety reasons."

First reported in Southeast Asia in 1997, the disease first appeared in Israel in March 2006, and the country has since ordered three different culls of poultry since, the report said.