A possible first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza type H5N1 could have been detected in a Quebec poultry farm, announced the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Monday.
A possible first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza type H5N1 could have been detected in a Quebec poultry farm, announced the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Monday.
According to the CFIA, cases of this new avian flu have already been confirmed in Ontario and the Maritimes, but this is the first that is under investigation in La Belle Province.
The Poultry Breeders of Quebec, for their part, specified that this first case would have been located at a small independent breeder with less than 300 birds.
Due to the small size of the farm, which escapes the quota system, the group of breeders does not have more information on this first case, underlined Marie-Hélène Jutras, director of communications and Marketing at Les Poultry breeders, in interview with the QMI Agency.
That said, the detection of a possible first case of avian influenza on Quebec soil worries the organization.
“Of course we are on high alert. We have been reminding our breeders of the biosecurity rules for more than a month, ”said Ms. Jutras, listing security measures such as changing boots before entering the farms or thoroughly cleaning its facilities. .
To date, three wild birds that have died from the virus have been recorded in Saint-Isidore-de-Laprairie and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, in Montérégie, as well as in Granby, in Estrie.
This virus, considered not very dangerous for wild birds, is on the other hand very serious for domestic poultry, raising fears of the worst in farms.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com