Via the Fraser Valley Current: The epicenter of an ‘unusual’ avian flu outbreak. Excerpt:
An avian influenza outbreak that has plagued the Fraser Valley’s poultry farms since the spring has seemingly diminished for now. But it’s expected to return.
Although every province except for Prince Edward Island has identified cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the Fraser Valley is the epicenter of the “unprecedented outbreak,” with millions of birds killed locally.
The first case of HPAI in BC was detected last April. It wasn’t discovered in the Fraser Valley for another month. Since then, the virus has killed more than 3.6 million birds across the province at 103 different locations, 81 of which are in the Fraser Valley.
The virus doesn’t usually survive the summer heat, but in this case it did, making this strain particularly unusual, said Amanda Brittain, BC Egg’s director of communications.
The strain is particularly virulent, Brittain said, and has infected many more birds than previous outbreaks. There were 51 previously infected sites in BC that have been declared influenza-free and released from the CFIA’s watch. But another 52 locations are still considered infected and will need to meet certain criteria before they are deemed safe.
There is some hope: it's been more than 30 days since a case was last detected in BC. The last case was on Jan. 22 at a commercial poultry farm in Chilliwack. Since then no new cases have been reported.
But it doesn’t mean the worst is over.
“Avian influenza follows the migratory bird season,” Brittain said. “That’s why we had a spring and then a fall outbreak… and we are anticipating more infections with the spring migration.”
Farmers, even in uninfected areas, have been forced to take extra precautions. In the fall, farmers were ordered to keep all commercial birds indoors to keep them away from wild birds, which are one of the main transmitters of the virus.
“Farmers are under a great deal of stress,” Brittain said. “Even if you’re not on an infected farm, there’s all kinds of rules about movements.”
