Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government is testing four potential bird flu vaccines for poultry, officials said on Friday, after more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have died in the nation’s worst outbreak ever. The trials, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, are the first step […] Read more
U.S. begins testing bird flu vaccines for poultry after record outbreak
Four vaccines to be tested
Ontario domestic dog dies of avian flu
Three poultry barns east of Montreal see outbreaks in space of a week
Pet owners are being warned not to feed their animals raw meat from poultry or game birds or allow pets to consume or play with dead wild birds after the death of a dog from avian flu in southern Ontario. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Tuesday reported the results of a necropsy on an […] Read more
Poultry producers brace for return of avian influenza
It’s hoped that monitoring wild birds and good biosecurity can help prevent another season of the disease
Reading Time: 3 minutes Spring may be a time of renewal and anticipation of a new crop, but for many poultry producers, this year it’s a time of uncertainty about a return of avian influenza. “We prepare every year for bird flu, but knowing what we went through last year, I think everyone is a lot more nervous,” said […] Read more
High-path avian flu pops back up in southern Ontario
Three outbreaks in Canadian poultry this month, plus skunks
Feather industry officials are calling for “extreme caution” among poultry farmers after cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza turned up at two southern Ontario properties in the past week. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it has confirmed cases of the virus detected last Friday in a backyard poultry flock in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, […] Read more
Flu experts gather with H5N1 risk on the agenda
Threat to humans from current strain seen as low
London | Reuters — The world’s leading experts on influenza met this week to discuss the threat posed to humans by a strain of H5N1 avian flu that has caused record numbers of bird deaths around the world in recent months. The group of scientists, regulators and vaccine manufacturers meets twice a year to decide […] Read more
Bird flu prompts AgriStability invite
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta poultry producers have until the end of February to sign up for the 2002 edition of AgriStability. The deadline for the income stabilization program was extended because of avian influenza outbreaks, the provincial government said. There have been 60 operations (commercial and non-commercial) in the province infected, with 1.4 million domesticated birds “impacted.” Many […] Read more
More South American nations report bird flu cases
Brazil still remains free of contagion
Sao Paulo | Reuters — The confirmation of more bird flu cases in South America raised alarm bells in Brazil, which remains free of contagion even after its close neighbours Argentina and Uruguay confirmed cases there on Wednesday. In a press conference to discuss the global sanitary hazard, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said Brazil, […] Read more
Alberta poultry sector gets late entry for AgriStability
Participation deadline extended to end of month
In the wake of avian influenza outbreaks in the region, Alberta poultry producers have been granted a late participation option to sign up for the federal/provincial AgriStability income stabilization program. Provincial Ag Minister Nate Horner on Wednesday announced the two levels of government have reached an agreement to allow poultry producers late participation in AgriStability […] Read more
Avian flu pops back up in New Brunswick
B.C. only other province with cases so far this month
Highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic birds in Canada appears to be in check so far this month in most regions of the country outside southwestern B.C. — but for one recent case in Atlantic Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed an outbreak of high-path avian flu in what it describes as […] Read more
Opinion: Avian influenza is a threat that’s flying under the radar
The response has been strong, but this outbreak has caused massive losses and poses an ongoing threat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Avian flu deserves more media attention. The illness affecting our poultry sector has become a real problem. Unlike previous strains, H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza has spread across the country, raising fears that it could become endemic in wild birds, no less. A nightmare. This year alone, avian flu has infected approximately 200 farms with […] Read more
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