“In Canada, bird flu is a very serious issue. It creates avian mortality and impedes producers’ ability to export their flocks,” said Craig Price, who leads bird flu management at the Canadian Food and Drug Administration. . the federal government body that regulates poultry farming in the country. “The impact on the Canadian poultry industry is quite significant, with exports of about $ 800 million a year in various markets. Every time we have a contaminated facility, we see the loss of exports from these production areas.” The worst-hit area is southern Ontario, where cases have been reported on six farms. Outbreak farms have been quarantined, but countless other farms within 10 miles[10 km]have also been subjected to strict traffic controls, Price said, disrupting the industry over a large area.
Where does the flu come from?
The cases are linked to contact with wild birds, and Price says they can grow as birds migrate north in the spring from the United States to Canada. There have been 130 cases in 24 US states
A goose, a duck, a red-tailed hawk and a red-breasted mercantile have tested positive for the strain in Ontario in recent weeks. The strain was also found on a Canadian goose and two geese in Quebec.
Price says that based on what is happening in the US, bird flu is likely to spread to every province in Canada.
Although the impact on birds is severe, it is rare for the current type of bird flu, H5N1, to infect humans. Samira Mubareka, a doctor at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and a virologist at the University of Toronto, says vigilance is the key to ensuring that human cases are detected in a timely manner.
Dr. Samira Mubareka, a researcher at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, says vigilance is the key to ensuring that any cases of avian influenza in humans are detected in a timely manner. “You do not want to miss the first one.” (Submitted / Sunnybrook)
“There really was no continuous person-to-person transmission and there were no human cases,” he said. “But again, you do not want to miss the first one.”
Monitoring human health
This means that in areas where avian influenza has been reported, health care workers should check to see if people with flu symptoms have been in contact with birds and make sure they have been tested for H5N1. “I think the most important thing is just to be vigilant, to make sure people know that, to ask the right questions about the report,” Mubareka said. The virus can infect a person if it comes in very close contact with an infected bird, Mubareka said. But it will probably have to mutate to be transmitted from person to person. A person can not be infected by eating chicken or other cooked poultry. Mubareka said that all the standard precautions for the proper handling and cooking of the meat were adequate. The COVID-19 pandemic could have both positive and negative consequences for monitoring the spread of avian influenza. Mubareka said public health systems would probably be more confident about how to respond if people had cases because of their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, health workers are being stretched. “I think this could really push the limited resources,” Mubareka said. “But in terms of readiness, we are somehow better.”
Farm lock
Karen Woolley runs Woolley Wonderland Farm in Lakehurst, Ont. She has hundreds of birds on her farm, including chickens, all of which are currently housed indoors to protect them.
Woolley Farm has severe travel restrictions due to avian influenza cases at another nearby farm.
“I nicknamed it ‘COVID Chicken,’ even though it’s not COVID,” Woolley said.
“It’s the same type of chicken farm lock, guest lock, something we do not want to do. We have to do it to make a living.”
Karen Woolley restricts visitors to her farm and has replenished her dogs to keep away any migratory birds that may approach. (Katie Nicholson / CBC)
Woolley usually takes her animals to the street to visit nursing homes, schools, exhibitions and other events. This year, he says he took the chickens out of the mix. Her dogs are also replenished to chase away any migratory birds that may land on the farm.
It restricts visitors to its farm and anyone who enters the barn where the birds are kept must change new shoes in case bird droppings from infected birds enter outside.
“We hope to overcome that,” Woolley said.
“We hope that not too many farms will be attacked and that everyone will remain safe doing these diligent things to maintain biosafety.”
With records by Katie Nicholson and Simon Dingley.
