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21 Mar 2006 11:31:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
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</TD><TD class=smHeadline>CRISIS PROFILE: Bird flu
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RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 21 (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in hope of preventing the spread of the fatal H5N1 bird flu virus, which struck Israel last week.
"The government has declared the state of emergency," outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie told reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting.
Azzam Tbaileh, a top Palestinian agriculture official, told Reuters that there have been no cases of H5N1 bird flu so far in Palestinian areas.
"The state of emergency means we will use all our resources and all our abilities to prevent bird flu from reaching our areas and to deal with (it)," Tbaileh said.
Israel has poisoned hundreds of thousands of turkeys and chickens in a bid to contain its H5N1 outbreak.
The virus has rippled out from Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa in recent months, with migratory birds seen as the main culprits in spreading bird flu.
Bird flu can infect people who come into close contact with infected poultry and has killed nearly 100 people since late 2003.
Experts fear the virus will mutate into a form that passes easily from person to person, sparking a pandemic in which millions could die and which could cripple the global economy.
Israel's neighbour Egypt said Saturday that a 30-year-old woman had died of bird flu, the country's first reported death from the virus.
21 Mar 2006 11:31:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Background
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RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 21 (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in hope of preventing the spread of the fatal H5N1 bird flu virus, which struck Israel last week.
"The government has declared the state of emergency," outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie told reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting.
Azzam Tbaileh, a top Palestinian agriculture official, told Reuters that there have been no cases of H5N1 bird flu so far in Palestinian areas.
"The state of emergency means we will use all our resources and all our abilities to prevent bird flu from reaching our areas and to deal with (it)," Tbaileh said.
Israel has poisoned hundreds of thousands of turkeys and chickens in a bid to contain its H5N1 outbreak.
The virus has rippled out from Asia to the Middle East, Europe and Africa in recent months, with migratory birds seen as the main culprits in spreading bird flu.
Bird flu can infect people who come into close contact with infected poultry and has killed nearly 100 people since late 2003.
Experts fear the virus will mutate into a form that passes easily from person to person, sparking a pandemic in which millions could die and which could cripple the global economy.
Israel's neighbour Egypt said Saturday that a 30-year-old woman had died of bird flu, the country's first reported death from the virus.
