The agency says the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed Wednesday, April 7, in two poultry flocks in Mountain View County and one flock in Ponoka County, Alberta. There have also been new cases confirmed in poultry flocks in Markham, Chatham-Kent and Prince Edward County in Ontario. The agency said in a statement on Thursday (April 8th) that the contaminated facilities have been quarantined, there is an investigation and it will introduce measures to control the movement to other farms within these areas. He says these cases have been reported to the World Organization for Animal Health. The agency says bird flu is not a major public health concern for healthy people who do not come in regular contact with infected birds. He says the cases serve as a strong reminder that bird flu is spreading around the world and that anyone with farm animals should practice good biosecurity habits to protect poultry and prevent disease. Avian influenza cases in poultry and non-poultry flocks have been reported in recent months in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. The most recent outbreak of bird flu began last year in Europe and has since spread to the United States and Canada, destroying some commercial farms with very high mortality rates. The chickens are presented at an egg-laying chicken farm in Amritsar, India on April 17, 2018. The Canadian Food Inspection Service reports that bird flu has been detected in poultry flocks in Alberta and there are new cases in Ontario. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Aleksandra Sagan (Contains Canadian Press Content)
