H5 avian flu outbreak on 2 BC farms

Avian flu detected at two Fraser Valley farms; up to 18,000 chickens, turkeys dead or to be destroyed

As many as 18,000 chickens and turkeys are either dead or will be destroyed after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed cases of avian...more

BY BRIAN MORTON AND TIFFANY CRAWFORD, VANCOUVER SUN DECEMBER 2, 2014
As many as 18,000 chickens and turkeys are either dead or will be destroyed after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed cases of avian influenza at two Fraser Valley farms.

"At one farm, there were originally 11,000 birds and over half have died from the disease," B.C.'s chief veterinary officer Jane Pritchard said in a conference call Tuesday afternoon. Health officials reported earlier the presence of H5 avian flu had been detected at a turkey farm in Abbotsford and a broiler breeder farm in Chilliwack.

"At the other farm, there were 7,000 birds and approximately 1,000 have died. The number of birds to be euthanized is a moving target at this point, but between the two farms 18,000 birds will have to be composted in the barns."

The CFIA has placed the two farms under quarantine to control the spread of disease and further testing by the CFIA is under way to confirm the severity of illness and to determine the strain of the virus.

Results are expected within days.

All birds on the infected premises will be euthanized, officials said, and the province will help with required carcass disposal.

The CFIA said initial tests for the disease were conducted on Monday at a Ministry of Agriculture laboratory in Abbotsford, after both operations experienced sudden deaths of birds on the weekend.

Avian influenza viruses do not pose risks to food safety when poultry and poultry products are properly handled and cooked.

In the conference call, Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, Canada's chief veterinary officer, said that there is no specific information on how the virus ended up at the two barns.

"There are multiple ways of transmission either through migratory birds or through movement from infected barns to another, or from humans.

"We will have to undertake a full assessment of what is the cause."

He noted that U.S. authorities have also been notified about the outbreak.

Pritchard also said that the birds were 83 days old, "so they would have been targeted for the Christmas market."

She said that the birds will be composted within the farm, "so that nothing comes out and it can't be airborne. There's no remnants of the birds."

Canada's first human case of avian flu was confirmed in January, after an Alberta patient died from the virus. Officials say person-to-person transmission of avian flu is extremely rare.

During the avian flu outbreak of 2004, the virus was never detected in a human, but more than 17 million birds were culled, making it the largest animal cull in Canadian history.

There was another, albeit smaller, cull in 2009, when 60,000 birds were euthanized at a farm in Abbotsford.

http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=10433853

THANKS Onefluover! I was on mobile and driving (passenger) so too fiddly to cut/paste - thanks for posting the article.

Here is a link with video - they've had a couple outbreaks in that valley -this clip says the one that occurred 10 yrs ago - they killed 17 million birds! As a poultry owner/breeder/lover - these numbers are HORRIFYING!!! I know they made a rare Canadian breed of chicken go extinct, and wiped out eggs being incubated and everything else! Didn't matter if your birds were healthy or sick - they were dead! Lady says they've learned a lot since then, I'm praying that's true!

Sorry hyperlink doesn't seem to want to work - please cut & paste...

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/thousands-of-birds-dead-after-avian-flu-reported-on-two-b-c-farms-1.2129571

On mobile so can't seem to get logged in but virus has been identified....

Strain of avian flu at Fraser Valley farms identified

JAMES KELLER
VANCOUVER — THE CANADIAN PRESS
Last updated Thursday, Dec. 04 2014, 3:45 PM EST


A poultry farm under quarantine because of an outbreak of avian influenza is pictured in Chilliwack, B.C., on Dec. 4, 2014. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
     
The type of avian influenza responsible for an outbreak at poultry farms in southwestern British Columbia is H5N2, a source has confirmed – the same virus behind at least three other previous outbreaks at Canadian farms.

A turkey farm and a chicken farm located in the Fraser Valley were placed under quarantine earlier this week after H5 avian influenza killed thousands of birds, and two other farms have since been placed under confinement.


A source tells The Canadian Press that tests have determined the virus is a high-pathogenicity, or high-path, strain of H5N2.

Pathogenicity does not indicate the level of danger a virus poses to people. High-path avian flu viruses kill birds, while low-path viruses can reduce egg production.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency was expected to provide more information Thursday afternoon.

About 18,000 birds are either already dead or set to be euthanized at the original pair of farms. The two other farms that had received chickens from the Chilliwack facility were placed under quarantine on Wednesday, though officials haven’t confirmed avian influenza at the new sites.

Officials have cautioned that the virus does not pose a risk to consumers if poultry meat is properly handled and cooked, though in rare cases it can be transmitted to people who work in close contact with the animals.

In 2010, a high-path strain of H5N2 avian flu in Manitoba at a turkey breeder farm led to the destruction of 8,200 birds.

The Fraser Valley has previously seen two outbreaks involving H5N2.

About 74,000 turkeys and chickens were destroyed in 2009 after a low-path strain of H5N2 infected poultry at two Fraser Valley farms, and more than 60,000 ducks and geese were destroyed at two farms in the region in 2005. In both cases, the culprit was a low-path strain of H5N2.

The most serious avian influenza outbreak in Canada was in 2004, when a high-path strain of H7N3 spread to 42 commercial farms and 11 backyard coups in the Fraser Valley. In response, the federal government ordered the slaughter of 17 million chickens, turkeys and other domestic birds.

The current outbreak is already having an economic impact on the Canadian poultry industry.

Since this avian flu was reported, Japan has banned all Canadian poultry products, as well as the import of chicks from B.C.; South Korea has banned chicks from Canada; Taiwan has banned all B.C. poultry and poultry products; and Hong Kong has banned poultry products from the Fraser Valley.

B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture says the province’s poultry industry produced 160 million kilograms of chicken in 2012, and 21 million kilograms of turkey.

Avian flu found at two more B.C. farms, total under quarantine now four

ONEFLUOVER - not sure how much you're following this - in wilds in WA, backyard flock in Oregon - this is what the USDA released re: protecting your birds... plan on minimum 2 months....

WEST COAST BIOSECURITY MEASURES: Suggested by poultry scientist and professor, Dr, Brigid McCrea, Ph.D that will have her feet on the ground in Oregon by Monday...

1. Get your chickens in your coop.
2. Place tarp over the chicken run.
3. Deny ALL wild birds access to your chickens.
4. Take down and remove all bird feeders, bird baths and bird feeders on your property.
5. Implement a foot bath, and use it.
6. Wear dedicated clothing when taking care of your flock and wash weekly.
7. If your birds show signs of illness, get a diagnosis immediately and impose a self-quarantine of your flock or farm until you have an official diagnosis.

Unless you live with chickens etc in your house with you - you have nothing to fear.