Several cases of bird flu have recently been confirmed in British Columbia, and in one case a small flock of poultry in the backyard in Kelowna was affected.
The province’s agriculture ministry announced the new case on Monday, saying the herd was already quarantined and all producers within a 12-kilometer radius of the home had been notified.
“Owners of small herds or backyard herds are urged to remain vigilant and take appropriate preventive measures,” a provincial statement said.
Some of these measures, the ministry said, include reducing the ability of poultry to interact with wild birds, reducing human access to the flock and increasing cleaning.
However, Kelowna’s flock was not the only case reported recently. Monday’s update announced that a bald eagle found in the Delta had recently tested positive for bird flu. The province said it was the second bald eagle sample to yield a positive result, the first being a sample found in Vancouver in February.
“These samples were collected through BC’s wild bird monitoring program for avian influenza, which collects samples from sick and dead birds, as well as sediment samples from wetlands where birds collect,” the province said in a statement.
An outbreak at a farm in Okanagan, British Columbia, was confirmed earlier this month, although the ministry did not specify where.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency called this year “unprecedented” for bird flu. Cases have been reported since late 2021, and hundreds of thousands of birds in Canada have been euthanized or killed by the virus. The CFIA has said it believes migratory birds are responsible for the outbreaks and expects more cases as flocks continue to fly north during the summer.
While most cases are mild, the flu can cause serious illness or death in birds. It does not usually affect humans, but in rare cases.
With files from The Canadian Press
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