Canadian Poultry Magazine

Quebec duck farm says it has detected a case of highly pathogenic avian flu

By The Canadian Press   

News Disease watch avian influenza H5N1

Brome Lake Ducks confirms H5N1 detected on one of its farms.

Avian influenza has forced Brome Lake Ducks to slaughter 150,000 birds and lay off nearly 300 employees.

A Quebec duck farm says it has detected a case of avian flu in one of its breeding facilities.

Brome Lake Ducks says in a news release that the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza was confirmed Tuesday on a farm in St-Claude, about 160 kilometres east of Montreal.

The company says it has quarantined the farm as well as another facility in Knowlton, Que., and is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to put biosecurity measures in place.

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Quebec’s first bird flu cases were detected in three wild geese earlier this month, and several other provinces have already reported outbreaks in wild and domestic populations.

While most forms of avian flu are mild, H5N1 can cause serious disease and death in birds.

No human cases have been detected in Canada, and the CFIA says avian influenza is not a significant public health concern for healthy people who are not in regular contact with infected birds.


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