Virulent avian influenza continues to hit Alberta poultry flocks
As the first wild ducks and geese begin their fall flight south, highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI,, is once again hitting Alberta's bird farmers hard.
A dozen new outbreaks have been detected in September and all but one are in commercial flocks.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there are currently 26 farms in Alberta with active infections, significantly more than any other province.
British Columbia currently lists 11 infected farms, Ontario has 10 and Saskatchewan sits at nine.
The outbreaks have lead to the culling of more than 1.2 million birds in Alberta alone.
Most outbreaks are around Edmonton and northern Alberta.
"The fall migration is starting again which means the birds are congregating in larger numbers closer to gather which provides a better environment for all types of disease transmission," said Dayna Goldsmith, a diagnostic pathologist with U of C's faculty of veterinary medicine.
She is also a regional director with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, a research agency that takes reports of sick or dead birds.
"We have had some new positive cases from the commercial side, which we do believe is originating from the wild populations, so this is the same strain," Goldsmith said.
"It hasn't gone away – it just kind of got quieter over the summer as the birds spread out. A lot of them were exposed and either got sick and died or developed immunity to it."
HPAI is not a human food safety risk and while people can get sick from being in contact with infected birds, it is not especially dangerous to human health. Still, anyone handling dead birds is reminded to wash their hands and clothing well afterwards to avoid spreading the infection.
Avian influenza is a reportable disease, meaning suspected cases must be tested and reported to the CFIA. Wild waterfowl have been found to be particularly susceptible and major carriers of the virus.
This year has seen a particularly bad outbreak around the world, causing unusual levels of sickness in birds, including neurological symptoms. It is highly contagious in domestic flocks and nearly always fatal.
Researchers want to know about any unexplained waterfowl or scavenger deaths – great horned owls, for example, have been impacted by scavenging dead ducks and geese.
They are particularly interested in cases where several birds are found at the same time.
Dead birds can be reported online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.