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
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.