Bird flu has already been detected in 18 locations in Alberta, officials at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Tuesday.
Each of the affected premises was quarantined and the CFIA launched an investigation. Movement and control measures have also been put in place on other farms in the areas, which include:
- April 25 – Camrose County (bird flock);
- April 24 – Camrose County (flock of birds);
- April 23 – Rocky View County;
- April 21 – Sturgeon County (small flock);
- April 21 – Wetaskiwin County (bird flock);
- April 20 – Kneehill County (bird flock);
- April 15 – Cardston County (bird flock);
- April 14 – Mountain View County (small herd);
- April 14 – Warner County (bird flock);
- April 14 – Kneehill County (bird flock);
- April 12 – Mountain View County (flock of birds);
- April 11 – Camrose County (bird flock);
- April 10 – Wetaskiwin County (bird flock);
- April 9 – Paintearth County (bird flock);
- April 8 – Kneehill County (bird flock);
- April 6 – Ponoka County (bird flock);
- April 6 – Mountain View County (bird flock) and;
- April 6 – Mountain View County (flock of birds).
The disease is spreading among wild bird populations around the world and is a “significant national concern as birds migrate to Canada,” according to the report.
“The CFIA continues to remind anyone who has poultry or other susceptible birds to practice good biosecurity habits to protect them from infectious animal diseases,” it said.
The movement of poultry in and out of the zones requires permission from the CFIA and the restrictions also apply to poultry products and by-products, as well as materials that have come into contact with poultry.
Avian influenza, often called bird flu, is caused by the influenza A virus, which can affect a number of food-producing birds, including chickens, turkeys, quails and guinea fowl, as well as poultry and wild birds.
The incubation period of avian influenza varies from two to 14 days.
The disease is usually classified into two types based on the severity of the disease caused in birds – low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
“Most avian influenza viruses are mildly pathogenic. They usually cause little or no signs of disease in infected birds, “the statement said.
“However, highly pathogenic viruses can cause serious illness and death in birds.”
Some signs to look for in infected birds include:
- Decline in egg production, many of which have soft or no shells;
- diarrhea;
- Hemorrhage of the hocks;
- High and sudden mortality;
- Silence and severe depression;
- Swelling of the skin under the eyes and;
- The full and ridges become swollen and clogged.
According to the CFIA, the H5 strain of avian influenza does not pose a significant public health concern to healthy people who are not in regular contact with infected birds.
North American zoos, including the Calgary Zoo, have closed their visitors’ enclosures and moved birds indoors in an attempt to protect the birds from the virus.
More than 27 million chickens and turkeys on farms in 26 states in the United States have been slaughtered in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus during the epidemic.
Owners of small flocks in Canada are encouraged to keep their birds indoors as much as possible during wild bird migration when the risk of exposure to the virus increases.
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