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Provincial officials and poultry producers hope the worst of a deadly bird flu wave swept through the province.
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Dr Margo Pybus, a wildlife specialist at Alberta Fish and Wildlife, said the virus appears to have spread to Alberta since bird mortality peaked in May. He said most of the virus came to the province through migratory birds, which appear to have continued further north. “Towards the end of May we received fewer reports of dead birds. “The dead birds that are found tend to be older corpses, so they died more in mid-May,” Pybus said. “We really do not suspect that we still have a lot of barriers to the flu virus in Alberta right now.” The highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus spread throughout Alberta in April and early May, destroying home and commercial poultry farms. The disease is believed to have come to the countryside through wild birds and then spread to wildlife and pet populations. Earlier this month, reports found that nearly one million farm birds had to be destroyed because of it.
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“The form of the virus that came with wild birds this spring that came north actually kills some wild birds and we have never seen that before,” Pybus said. “The primary mortality was in geese, especially geese. “But then we saw a minor spread of the virus in things that ate and those that fell with the virus and died, and that includes large numbers of hawks and owls.” Pybus said it did not believe the virus would continue to spread throughout the summer. Maria Leslie, a spokeswoman for Alberta Chicken Producers, said she was optimistic the virus had spread, but continued to urge producers to be careful. “I want to encourage people to continue to follow very high biosafety standards with any birds they may have on their farms,” Leslie said. “As we approach mid-summer and also as the weather warms up – because the flu favors life in a cooler, wetter environment – we hope to continue to see fewer cases.”
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The website of the Canadian Food Inspection Service shows that the last confirmed case of avian influenza was detected on June 2 in small flocks of non-poultry, which means that the animal is at home and not intended for consumption. The last case in a commercial poultry unit was detected on May 11, according to the website. Twenty active contamination zones remain in the province, including 18 commercial establishments, according to the CFIA database. Leslie confirmed Friday that there were no new confirmed cases last week and that a facility in Mountain View County has gone through the full process of eradicating the disease. “Enhanced biosafety protocols continue to be followed and. . . “We encourage small herd owners to continue to pursue increased biosafety as well,” Leslie said. [email protected]
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