A year ago, in most people’s minds, Avian Flu was something that was a problem elsewhere in the world. Now it seems that each week brings another news story that tells of the spread of this dreaded disease. Avian Influenza (also known as AI or bird flu) has became part of the public consciousness.
There was no need to raise the consciousness of poultry producers from coast to coast. They have been following the spread of the disease for years and implementing on-farm protection and safety measures that are some of the best in the world.
Federal and provincial governments continue to be vigilant in monitoring the health of wild and domestic birds. When ducks on 2 farms in BC’s Fraser Valley tested positive for low-pathogenic AI in the fall of 2005, the area was immediately quarantined, the affected birds were culled and samples were taken from 78 farms in a 5 km radius of the area. In December, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and BC’s Minister of Agriculture declared those farms to be free of AI.
In August 2005, a national survey of migratory waterfowl was initiated by the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre with support from Environment Canada, the provinces, the CFIA and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The AI virus is commonly found in wild birds and the survey, as expected, identified the presence of a number of AI subtypes including the H5 subtype. All the wild, migratory birds tested so far have been found to be carrying low pathogenic, North American strains.
AI, however, continues to be an ongoing challenge both for producers and CFO staff. The United Nations has warned that the continuing spread of the deadly avian influenza virus H5N1 in countries outside southeast Asia confirms that bird flu is an international problem that could be with us for several years.
The proper reaction to the possibility of bird flu is not panic and fear, but ongoing action to fight the disease at its origin. Effective surveillance and disease control programs, such as the ones in place here in Ontario and the rest of Canada, are fully focused on containing and defeating any emergence of the virus.
Ongoing biosecurity measures carried out by Ontario chicken farmers ensure a safe, quality product for the citizens of this province.
