With the detection, HPAI has now been confirmed in every province of Canada except Manitoba in 2022. However, the virus has not yet been confirmed in any Canadian territory. The Saskatchewan Provincial Government said in a press release that specimens collected from a goose found near Elrose were confirmed positive for HPAI by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The press release states that this is the first time HPAI has been detected in the province since 2007. While HPAI occurred in all but one province, only three counties had confirmed cases of poultry: Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta. Outbreaks in British Columbia, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have all been reported in poultry in backyards, exhibition farms or wild birds. These cases should have no impact on the commercial poultry trade, according to the standards of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Two new cases in Alberta
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported two additional cases of HPAI in poultry. One of the new cases was confirmed on April 8 in Kneehill County, while the other was confirmed on April 9 in Paintearth County. The agency had previously reported three cases of HPAI in Alberta poultry. Two of these cases were in Mountain View County and the other in Ponoka County. The CFIA has not yet revealed details of the species in any of these five flocks or how many birds were infected.
Other cases of avian influenza in Canadian poultry
Ontario had four cases of HPAI in commercial poultry. One was in a commercial duck and goose breeding business, where 2,150 birds were infected. There were also three commercial turkey flocks affected, with these flocks collectively consisting of 17,483 turkeys. The previously confirmed poultry case in Nova Scotia involved a flock of 11,800 commercial turkeys. This case was the first commercial HPAI poultry case in Canada, confirmed on January 30. To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in North America, see an interactive map at WATTPoultry.com. Read the ongoing coverage of the global bird flu epidemic.
