Four people hospitalized for possible avian flu
By Assaf Uni, Ran Reznick and Amiram Cohen,
Haaretz Correspondents, Agencies and Haaretz Staff

Four people were taken to hospital Friday for treatment of possible bird flu. Three workers at two Negev kibbutzim where more than 1,000 turkeys were found dead Thursday were taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva for treatment. An individual who works at Moshav Sde Moshe, near the southern town of Kiryat, was taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon on Friday after feeling ill.

The bird flu was suspected of spreading to both Moshav Sde Moshe and Kibbutz Nachshon, 25 kilometers from Jerusalem.

One of the patients, a Thai laborer who works at Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, is being held in isolation. The other two, Bedouin from the Tel Arad region who work at Kibbutz Holit, said they had been feeling sick for the past few days but could not get off work. Hospital administrators said test results for the three kibbutz workers would be ready by Sunday. The rest