December 11, 2014
Number of British Columbia farms hit by bird flu outbreaks increase to 8
At least eight poultry farms in British Columbia, Canada, have been hit by outbreaks of bird flu so far, officials said on Wednesday. The number is double that as of December 3, when four poultry farms had been under quarantine due to avian flu outbreaks.
Even as the eight outbreaks have reportedly claimed 155,000 chickens and turkeys, the chief veterinarian of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Harpreet Kocchar, warned that the outbreak could spread to other farms.
"We don''t know at what stage of the situation we are," Kocchar said.
The strain of the avian influenza was identified as the highly pathogenic H5N2, and officials have yet to determine the source of the outbreaks. The virus can be carried by wild migratory birds, but Kocchar said wildlife officials had not seen an increase in wild bird mortality in the areas affected in Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver. Tests on wild birds for avian flu had also been negative, he added.
To stop the spread of the virus, Canadian officials have restricted the movement of captive birds in the southern half of British Columbia. Kocchar said officials hope this measure would prevent the European Union from banning poultry from
Canada.Already, at least eight countries have put on hold the import of poultry and poultry products from British Columbia. They include the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and Taiwan.
In 2004, 42 poultry farms in Fraser Valley were also hit by bird flu outbreaks, necessitating the slaughter of some 17 million chickens, turkeys and other domestic birds.