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Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters
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CFIA confirms avian flu outbreak on B.C. farm Sunday, January 25, 2009 CTV News The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed an H5 avian influenza outbreak on a turkey farm in B.C.'s Fraser Valley. CFIA says the strain in this case is of low pathogenicity, and further tests will be done to determine the precise subtype and strain of the virus. Pathogenicity refers to the severity of the bird's illness. All birds on the farm will be humanely euthanized, the CFIA said in a news release. There are as many as 60,000 birds on the farm. Afterwards, the organization will oversee the cleaning and disinfection of the farm. Several other farms in a three-kilometre radius of the infected farm have been quarantined. Avian viruses are not a risk to food safety providing poultry products are properly cooked. Avian influenza rarely affects humans, unless they have been in close contact with the infected birds, the CFIA says. CTV British Columbia's Maria Weisgarber told CTV Newsnet Saturday afternoon that one man in close contact with the infected birds is under close medical watch in case anything develops. She added that no recalls of any meat products from the farm are expected. Weisgarber said that other farms in the area will have their birds extensively tested before they can put their product to market. Testing was done at the infected farm after some birds showed signs of respiratory distress. Dr. Neil Rau an infectious disease specialist told CTV Newsnet that the infected birds could have been contracted the virus from migratory birds. "It may not be that the virus will cause disease in the migratory birds that fly in and out and drop their stools in various areas, but then if you have farm-raised poultry they may be much more susceptible and then it spreads like wildfire in that population of domestic poultry," he said. CFIA is notifying the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health of the incident as per regulations. There are multiple subtypes of the H5 avian flu. Additionally testing is being done to determine the virus's neuraminidase subtype -- the N in a flu virus's name. Low path viruses, usually only lead to drop in egg production. However, a high path virus can wipe out an entire poultry operation as birds must be culled to extinguish the outbreak. In 2005, the Fraser Valley suffered an outbreak of H5N2 avian influenza. In Feb. 2004, 17 million birds were slaughtered in the Fraser Valley following an outbreak of H7N3, a different subtype of avian influenza. Comment: Factory farming or intensive farming is the culprit in the cause and spread of these diseases. Animals are treated as “production units” and denied their most basic needs, confined in filthy and inhumane conditions. It’s the bottom line that matters, nothing more. Under our country’s Health of Animals Act, financial compensation is given to farmers whose animals are destroyed by the CFIA. Government protects corporate interests and the powerful agricultural industry. Vested interests like to blame wild birds for the spread of avian flu say experts like Dr Leon Bennun. Michael Greger, MD writes; "In a sense, pandemics aren't born—they're made. "The bottom line is that humans have to think about how they treat their animals, how they farm them, and how they market them—basically the whole relationship between the animal kingdom and the human kingdom is coming under stress." Bird Flu: A Virus of our Own Hatching February 21, 2023 An avian flu outbreak is spreading to mammals. What is the risk to humans? Avian influenza—or bird flu, as it's commonly known—continues to run through bird populations, killing millions of animals worldwide. Now, a particularly infectious and lethal strain of the virus called H5N1 appears to be spreading to mammals, with cases reported in otters, foxes, seals and in farmed minks. Ending the exploitation of animals is one of the biggest actions humankind can take to protect itself against future pandemics. |