The agency estimates the number of birds affected by bird flu at 1,075,000 H5N1 highly pathogenic (HPAI) in the province, which is 3,000 more than the data made public last week.
As of Friday, Alberta had 19 active outbreaks. The last reported outbreaks date back to Tuesday at farms in the county of star country and the municipal borough of Willow Creek.
Outbreaks have been declared on 37 farms since the first confirmed case on April 6, in Mountain View County, Alberta.
Natural carriers of the avian influenza virus, migratory birds are believed to be responsible for a series of epidemics of this disease which is today responsible for the death of more than 2.3 million poultry in Canada and a series epidemics around the world.
Flying south in the fall, these migratory birds spread the virus on their travels. The virus can spread on clothing, equipment and even straw used as bedding in poultry houses.
We’re all a little nervous about this fall migration
said Jeff Notenbomer, owner of Willow Creek Poultrya nearby broiler farm Lethbridgelocated about twenty kilometers from the infectious focus of willow stream.
The return of wild geese has rekindled concerns about the spread of the virus, he said.
While it is hoped that farmers are better prepared to prevent infection, farmers wonder where and when the next outbreak will occur, exclaims Jeff Notenbomer, who is also president of Alberta Hatching Egg Producersthe body that regulates the production of hatching eggs in the province.
Bird flu was first detected in Canada in 2004, but this year’s strain is different according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
A new strain
Margo Pybuswildlife disease specialist Alberta Fish and Wildlifebelieves it is important that farmers maintain strict biosecurity protocols in the coming weeks.
The new strain is highly transmissible and appears to persist in wild birds.
In the spring we were lucky as we could see what was happening at the southern end of the migration route
she explained.
Birds flying north over the United States provided conservation officials with important clues about the transmission and severity of the new strain, before this risk crossed Alberta’s borders.
accurate Margo Pybus.
Cases have been detected on a total of 37 farms since the first Alberta case was confirmed in Mountain View County on April 6.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Ben Nelms
For the fall migration, we are the first groups to see one of the arctic migratory birds. So we really don’t know what will happen, she worries, but we hope that the virus has mutated and turns out to be less virulent and less deadly.
she added.
» Like COVID-19, the virus can become less severe as it spreads. »
No wild cases have been detected since late July, but the province will continue to investigate bird deaths to identify any mutations.
Avian influenza is a reportable disease in Canada. Federal inspectors respond to outbreaks by establishing quarantine areas and ordering the destruction of all birds on site.
Health authorities say that while bird flu can sometimes cause illness in humans, it is rare and is thought to be the result of close contact with infected birds or heavily contaminated environments, not consumption of infected meat from an infected animal.
With information from Wallis Snowdon
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