KELOWNA, British Columbia – A small flock of poultry in the backyard in Kelowna, British Columbia, tested positive for bird flu, the second known outbreak of the disease among flocks in British Columbia.
KELOWNA, British Columbia – A small flock of poultry in the backyard in Kelowna, British Columbia, tested positive for bird flu, the second known outbreak of the disease among flocks in British Columbia.
The highly contagious H5N1 strain of the disease was confirmed earlier this month at Enderby Farm in North Okanagan.
A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture said it was working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and poultry producers in BC to ensure that protection measures were in place.
The infected Kelowna herd has been quarantined and the statement said producers within a 12-kilometer radius had been notified.
The ministry also says a bald eagle recently found in the Delta is positive for avian influenza, the second wild bird case in British Columbia since February, when the H5N1 strain was confirmed in the remains of a bald eagle in Vancouver.
Owners of small or backyard herds are urged to watch for signs of disease in their birds, eliminate contact with wild birds and step up the cleaning and disinfection of all clothing and equipment used to care for their animals.
Outbreaks of avian influenza have been confirmed in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta, but no human cases have been reported.
The CFIA said the disease is not considered a significant concern for healthy people who are not in regular contact with infected birds.
A farm in Whitemouth, Manchester, was also quarantined on April 23 as the agency said the province had registered its first confirmed cases of H5N1 in a flock of commercial poultry.
Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development announced last week that bird flu had been found in several snow geese gathered in southwestern Manitoba and from the remains of a bald eagle found in the Dauphin area.
It was an unprecedented year worldwide for bird flu, the CFIA said.
He warned that migratory birds may be responsible for outbreaks that spread through contact with an infected bird, its feces or nasal secretions, and the CFIA said it expects more cases as wild birds continue to fly north during the summer.
BC’s deputy chief veterinarian has ordered all poultry traders with more than 100 birds to move their flocks indoors by the end of spring migration in May.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 26, 2022.
The Canadian press
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