London | Reuters — The global spread of bird flu and the number of viral strains currently circulating and causing infections have reached unprecedented levels, raising the risk of a potential human outbreak, according to disease experts. Multiple outbreaks have been reported in poultry farms and wild flocks across Europe, Africa and Asia in the […] Read more
Proliferation of bird flu outbreaks raises pandemic risk
Avian flu quarantine ends for Ontario duck farm
A federal quarantine has been lifted for a duck farm near St. Catharines, Ont. where birds were confirmed in July with low-pathogenicity (“low-path”) avian flu. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has reported the quarantine was lifted effective Sept. 20, at the end of a 21-day waiting period after the commercial-scale farm was depopulated, cleaned and […] Read more
Ontario duck farm catches low-path avian flu
All the birds on a commercial duck farm in southern Ontario’s Niagara region are about to be euthanized after some were confirmed with a less severe form of avian flu. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Thursday said the strain of avian influenza found in the birds on the farm is a low-pathogenic (“low-path”) […] Read more
U.S. kills 39,000 turkeys in low-path bird flu outbreak
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. authorities destroyed 39,000 turkeys in Missouri due to an outbreak of a mild form of avian flu, the World Organization for Animal Health said on Tuesday, as officials remained on alert for new cases. State authorities also have begun a quarantine and taken surveillance measures around the farm in Jasper […] Read more
Lessons learned from the avian flu disaster
The biosecurity do and don’t list is incredibly long, and even reaches into the homes of poultry farm workers
Reading Time: 3 minutes The mood at the Western Poultry Conference was sombre as Helen Wojcinski detailed the carnage of the avian influenza outbreak that tore through the U.S. 17 months ago. More than 10 million turkeys and about 11 per cent of the U.S. layer population lost. More than 220 farms in 15 states hit. Losses of $3 […] Read more
Canada blocks poultry, eggs from Indiana
Cross-border travellers coming into Canada from the U.S. are now warned against bringing in raw poultry and eggs from Indiana, the site of the country’s latest cases of avian flu. Travellers entering Canada from the U.S. may not bring in uncooked poultry products, live birds and/or eggs from Indiana, North Dakota or Missouri, the Canadian […] Read more
Canada’s no-buy list for poultry, eggs down to two states
Canada is now warning cross-border travellers to the U.S. against bringing in raw poultry and eggs from two states, down from six at the end of 2015. As of Tuesday, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, travellers entering Canada from the U.S. may not bring in uncooked poultry products, live birds and/or eggs from […] Read more
Poultry, eggs from seven U.S. states still blocked at border
While the U.S. has declared itself free of high-path avian flu, Canada is still warning cross-border travellers not to bring in poultry or eggs from seven previously affected states. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Thursday — a.k.a. Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. — rolled out a statement to remind travellers that Canada’s restrictions […] Read more
Fall migration brings threat of avian flu
Reading Time: < 1 minute Small flock producers are being warned to be on guard against avian influenza during the fall migration of ducks and geese, which can carry the contagious viral disease. Put a wire on top of pens to prevent direct contact, treat dugout water, and watch for signs of infection, said Dr. Colleen Christianson, a provincial veterinary […] Read more
Canada now avian flu-free
With no new cases in poultry since April and no farms in quarantine since July, Canada has officially declared itself free of avian influenza. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday it has informed the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) that Ontario is free of notifiable avian flu. No new outbreaks of highly pathogenic […] Read more
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