Bird flu found in duck on B.C. farm
Avian influenza found in duck on commercial farm in B.C. Fraser Valley

By AMY CARMICHAEL

Friday, November 18, 2005 Posted at 9:28 PM EST

Canadian Press

Vancouver — A strain of H5 bird flu has been found in a duck on a commercial farm in British Columbia's Fraser Valley.

B.C. government officials said Friday there is no risk to human health, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has quarantined the farm after an outbreak of avian influenza in the area in 2004.

At this point, health officials say they are not sure which strain of the H5 avian bird flu was found in the duck.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is visiting farms in a five kilometre radius around the infected premises near Abbotsford to test birds and is warning bird owners to practice strict biosecurity.

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"Due to the precautionary principle, it's really important to lock down as quickly as possible and make sure we quarantine before it spreads further," said Dr. Eric Young, deputy provincial health officer.

"There is no evidence of any sickness in any of these birds on the premises. We know avian influenza is common in waterfowl. It appears to be a finding we might find in any duck. Unfortunately it's in a commercial duck so the CFIA is taking this very seriously."

An outbreak of avian flu in 2004 eventually hit farms in a 70-kilometre-wide swath from the Vancouver's eastern suburbs to Chilliwack in the eastern Fraser Valley, forcing the slaughter of 17 million birds.

In the end, about three million birds were found to be diseased and the rest were allowed to be sold to consumers.

The government has previously said that a form of H5 avian flu virus had been found in wild birds in B.C.

A sample from the infected duck has been flown to the Centre for Animal Disease in Winnipeg and scientists are trying to figure out exactly what kind of avian influenza they are dealing with.

It could take more than 24 hours to get results, but it's possible the lab might never be able to get a clear reading from the sample to determine what strain of the virus it is, said Dr. Jim Clark, a director of animal health with the food inspection agency.

He said no decision has been made on whether to hold a cull and a decision will not be made until more is known about the infected duck.

In the meantime, the agency is looking through records at the infected farm to see who has come and gone in the past 21 days. That will help inspectors figure out where the virus may have come from and where it may potentially go.

The flock at the farm was kept outside, but was recently moved indoors, said Dr. Ron Lewis, the chief veterinarian of B.C. None of the other poultry on the farm are sick.

The infected duck was pulled off the processing line for inspection, but for reasons unrelated to avian flu. As a result of increased surveillance, the duck was also be tested for the flu virus.

H5 is one of two subtypes of avian influenza that can produce highly pathogenic viruses. The other is H7. Not all H5 or H7 viruses are highly pathogenic.

Friday's announcement comes at a time of heightened awareness about avian flu because of the deadly H5N1 virus circulating in poultry in Asia and parts of Europe.

Officials say they are reacting much faster than they did during the outbreak in 2004, which taught the industry tough lessons.

Dr. Clark said inspectors are on top of this outbreak.

"We're going to be much more aggressive in terms of how we deal with this situation," he said.

Because of advances in diagnostic testing, scientists know more earlier and are able to quarantine farms more quickly.

"We quarantined this farm two to three days ahead of where we would have been in 2004. We are also doing more intense surveillance around the farm than we were in 2004," Dr. Clark said.