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Two unhealthy fox sets discovered in St. Mary’s this month are the first mammals in Canada to be diagnosed with H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that currently threatens poultry farms in the country.
Two sets of sick foxes discovered in St. Mary’s this month are the first mammals in Canada to be diagnosed with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that currently threatens poultry farms in the country. (File photo)
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Two unhealthy fox sets discovered in St. Mary’s this month are the first mammals in Canada to be diagnosed with H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that currently threatens poultry farms in the country.
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According to a report by the Canadian Wildlife Conservation Association, the pair of young foxes were found together. One was already dead. The other suffered from seizures and died shortly after being admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation center.
After various tests, including a post-mortem examination, the cooperative and its partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Animal Health Laboratory, determined on May 2 that H5N1 was the probable cause of death. The discovery is a significant development in the global bird flu epidemic that officials have been tracking since last year, but wildlife pathologist Brian Stevens said Friday that human health concerns remain low.
“We suspect that these foxes became infected by eating organs or meat from infected (bird) carcasses,” Stevens said. “It’s not something that people will come into contact with.”
Canadian officials have been monitoring the spread of the virus since it was discovered in Europe early last year. These effects intensified in December, when the virus was detected in Newfoundland seagulls before spreading to birds in Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
The biggest impact of the epidemic so far is felt in Canadian poultry production.
As of Thursday, more than 1.8 million birds on 76 farms had been affected by the virus, government figures show. This includes approximately 470,000 birds on 25 farms in Ontario, including one in nearby Oxford County.
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency believes that migratory birds are responsible for outbreaks and expects more cases as flocks continue to fly north during the summer.
“I think in recent memories this is one of the largest cases of avian influenza in many provinces and the first time we’ve had H5N1,” said Dr. Mary Jane Ireland, chief veterinarian, last month.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has set up control zones in areas with active outbreaks in Ontario and Alberta to quarantine infected animals and restrict the movement of goods and livestock in and outside the affected areas. There is no evidence to suggest that eating boiled poultry or eggs can transmit the virus to humans, according to the agency.
No human cases have been found in Canada, and avian influenza is not a significant public health concern for healthy people who are not in regular contact with infected birds.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says there are many factors that increase the price of food, so it’s hard to find a direct link between high costs for eggs and poultry and the virus, but the agency is keeping a close eye.
“Poultry and egg production in Canada is supply-driven and there are mechanisms that modeling boards can deploy to give them the flexibility to adapt to the kind of disruption we’re talking about right now,” said Donald Boucher, CEO of development of the sector. with Agri-Food Canada.
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The Canadian Wildlife Health Association relies on government agencies, animal control services, wildlife rehabilitation centers and the general public to help its Ontario monitoring efforts, Stevens said. Contact information is available on the organization’s website.
The cooperative traced the virus from southern and eastern Ontario to the north to Sudbury. If the virus follows a similar pattern as in Europe, Stevens said the epidemic could ease this summer before resuming in the fall.
“Warm weather is not great for the spread of flu viruses,” he said. “We will monitor this virus in the summer and wait for its autumn migration to see if it will jump up again.
“There is not much we can really do about it other than monitor what is happening to the virus and do everything we can to protect agricultural species.”
-With files from the Canadian press
cmontanini@postmedia.com
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