The Foreign Ministry has dispatched medical equipment and protective gear to help prevent the spread of the disease. The equipment arrived in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday and is currently en-route to the outbreak areas.
The Nigerian government's request was made personally to Israel's Ambassador to Nigeria, Noam Katz.
Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa, and a full-fledged outbreak of the flu would be devastating. Several cases of the dangerous H5N1 strain have been found in fowl throughout the country, though no human cases have been diagnosed as of yet.
Acting to prevent a spread of the disease, neighboring African countries have already banned the import of poultry from Nigeria.
Meanwhile, 800 Nigerian Christian pilgrims are on their way to Israel to visit Christian sites around the country. The first group arrived in Israel on Sunday. The chairman of Nigeria's Kaduna State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Reverend Father Victor Yakubu, told the pilgrims that though the departure had been delayed by unforeseen circumstances, it was good that they were finally leaving for the Holy Land. It is unclear whether the "unforeseen circumstances" involved ensuring that no Nigerians infected with avian flu would be taking part in the trip.
The Nigerian government's request was made personally to Israel's Ambassador to Nigeria, Noam Katz.
Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa, and a full-fledged outbreak of the flu would be devastating. Several cases of the dangerous H5N1 strain have been found in fowl throughout the country, though no human cases have been diagnosed as of yet.
Acting to prevent a spread of the disease, neighboring African countries have already banned the import of poultry from Nigeria.
Meanwhile, 800 Nigerian Christian pilgrims are on their way to Israel to visit Christian sites around the country. The first group arrived in Israel on Sunday. The chairman of Nigeria's Kaduna State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Reverend Father Victor Yakubu, told the pilgrims that though the departure had been delayed by unforeseen circumstances, it was good that they were finally leaving for the Holy Land. It is unclear whether the "unforeseen circumstances" involved ensuring that no Nigerians infected with avian flu would be taking part in the trip.