Here we go again. Via CBC News: Avian flu detected on 2 B.C. poultry farms in Fraser Valley. Excerpt:
The H5 avian influenza virus has been detected on two poultry farms in the Fraser Valley, located east of Vancouver, officials in B.C. have confirmed.
Testing found the virus at a turkey farm in Abbotsford and a broiler chicken breeding facility in Chilliwack, officials said in a statement released just after noon on Tuesday.
"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has placed the two farms under quarantine to control disease spread and the industry sector has been notified to adopt enhanced biosecurity practices," said the statement.
Testing was conducted on Monday after large numbers of birds died at the farms over the weekend.
"Further testing by the CFIA is underway to confirm pathogenicity and to determine the precise subtype and strain of the virus," CFIA said.
Pathogenicity refers to the severity of the illness caused in birds, said officials. The results are expected within days.
The remaining birds on the farm will be killed and disposed of under CFIA supervision and the farms will remain under quarantine until the barns, equipment and vehicles are disinfected.
A 2005 outbreak of H7N3 resulted in the culling of effectively all poultry and domesticated birds in the Fraser Valley, which is one of BC's key agricultural regions and right in Vancouver's back yard. Then in 2009 the valley was hit again, this time by low-path H5N2. So we have more experience than we'd like with such outbreaks.