Hundreds of birds die at St. John’s Exhibition Hall in the tragedy of bird flu

Bird owners say it’s a tragedy for his farm, which doesn’t raise birds for human consumption and continues to show birds such as peacocks and silkie chickens.

“Each of them [birds] They have individuality and have been raised socially. They were more than just livestock. So it was a real tragedy and it had an emotional and financial impact on us. Many of them were rare or specific varieties that we have grown over the years. “

On December 20, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 on the farm.

Lester said their chickens were the first birds to show signs of the virus.

“Chickens have an unusual mortality rate, which was the cause of our first concern,” Lester said. The farm contacted the state veterinarian, who performed a post-mortem examination and notified the inspection agency.

“We worked fully together because this is a major concern. We were even more concerned because CFIA has identified it as a highly pathogenic strain.”

The presence of the virus was also confirmed in farm ducks and geese.

According to the CFIA, bird flu naturally circulates in wild birds, and the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Europe indicates an increased risk of the disease in poultry in North America this year.

In a statement to CBC News, the Environment and Climate Change Canada said it was aware of a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Great Black-backed Gull collected at Mundy Pond in New Fundland on November 26.

The statement also stated that samples were collected from wild birds and analyzed.

Mr Lester said his birds sometimes come into contact with wild birds and believe that it is the cause of the bird flu found on his farm. He said their ducks and geese were in the open ponds of the farm where wild ducks sometimes land.

“So we theorize that they were infected,” he said.

Risk to humans

There is no evidence that the H5N1 bird flu has sickened people in Newfoundland and Labrador, but it is known to cause serious illness and even death in other parts of the world. Since November 2003, more than 700 human infections have been reported to the World Health Organization from 15 predominant countries in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, according to the US Center for Disease Control.

A professor at the University of Montreal, who studies viral infections in animals, says it is important to prevent the virus from spreading to Newfoundland and beyond.

“Currently, pandemics are occurring in more than 40 countries reporting cases of highly pathogenic strains of influenza,” said Carl A. Gagnon.

“I was very lucky because there were no cases in Canada, but now I need to be careful. We can manage it so we can act swiftly and take biosecurity measures to prevent it from spreading. Must be a country. “

If the virus spreads, it could harm the country’s poultry industry, Ganyon said, but in a notice to industry operators, CFIA said that the infected bird was found on an exhibition farm. It states that it is considered “non-poultry detection”.

“According to the guidance of the World Organization for Animal Health, Canada’s” bird flu-free “state remains,” the notice said.

“Trading partners should be reassured that existing measures do not impose additional restrictions. Therefore, the impact of trade on Canadian industry as a result of this detection should be minimal. “

Ganyon advised a small backyard farmer in St. John’s to isolate birds to avoid contact with wild birds.

“They have to make sure that wild birds have no access to their huts and barns, and that the general public has no access to those buildings,” Ganyon said.

Control zone established

CFIA has strengthened the biosecurity of farms in the area with the aim of putting the farm under quarantine, establishing a controlled area of ​​10 kilometers and limiting the potential spread of the disease. Meanwhile, after the Canadian Ministry of the Environment has confirmed the presence of bird flu in the St. John’s area, such as Bowring Park and Lake Quidividi, the city of St. John’s will prevent the general public from feeding, touching, or handling wild birds, including ducks. I asked for it. Pigeons and seagulls.

Lester’s Farm Chalet hopes to eventually return the birds to the facility after a period not yet determined by the CFIA, Lester said.

“If the site has a host-free fallow period and there are feathered species, the site will be free of viruses,” Lester said. “So we just sit down and there is no danger of the virus infecting other animals.”

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador