Brome Lake Ducks reports in a press release that the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed Tuesday at a farm in St-Claude, about 100 miles east of Montreal. The company says it has quarantined the farm and another facility in Knowlton, Que., And is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Service to take biosecurity measures. The first cases of bird flu in Quebec were detected in three wild geese earlier this month, and several other provinces have already reported cases in wild and domestic populations. While most forms of bird flu are mild, H5N1 can cause serious illness and death in birds. No human cases have been reported in Canada, and the CFIA says bird flu is not a major public health concern for healthy people who do not come in regular contact with infected birds.
