TESTS NEGATIVE

The Israeli Health Ministry said four people suspected of having bird flu had tested negative for the virus.

Two Israeli farms were confirmed on Friday to have infected poultry after thousands of turkeys and chickens died. Tests are being carried out on another two farms where H5N1 is suspected.

Israeli officials said poultry in the infected areas and their surroundings would be culled and the carcasses buried in underground pits.

In a rare act of cooperation, Israel was also testing dead fowl found in the West Bank and Gaza on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to try to control the spread of the virus.

Serbia on Friday said three children and a teenager from a bird flu affected area were in hospital after developing fever and flu-like symptoms.

Three women who died in Azerbaijan are also thought to be bird flu victims, but the WHO is awaiting the results of further tests before confirming the cause of death.

Bird flu has shaken poultry markets around the world as consumers have lost their appetites for chicken, with some countries reporting a drop in sales of up to 70 percent.

The EU banned poultry imports from Israel after the discovery of H5N1 there, the EU's executive Commission said.