According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the H5N1 strain has been detected in a backyard herd in the Township of Chippewas of Nawash and in poultry flocks in Woolwhich, Zorra and Guelph. On Monday, officials said the virus was also found in wild birds in Quebec. What is bird flu and can humans get sick? Here is a closer look at what is happening.
What does bird flu look like?
According to the CFIA, there are a number of “clinical signs” that can be found in infected birds. The story goes on under the ad There will be a decline in egg production, many of which have a soft shell or no shell. Birds may have diarrhea or bleeding in the leg and may be quiet, showing signs of extreme depression. Influenza birds may also have swelling under their eyes, while their tibias and combs may swell and become clogged. According to the CFIA, there is no cure for the disease in birds. “Vaccination of birds may play a role in reducing the spread of the disease, but it does not eradicate the virus,” the CFIA website said. Dr. Mary-Jane Ireland, chief veterinarian for the CFIA, told the Canadian press that infected birds could expel the virus through their saliva, birth secretions and feces. “And it can spread through contact with surfaces,” he said. Ireland said it includes shoes, trash, bedding, feed and water.
Read more: “Be extremely vigilant”: farmers and feeders worried about rising bird flu outbreaks
He said anyone with birds should keep them away from wild birds and clean poultry houses, water, feeders and clothes frequently. They should also control what comes in and out of the coop or barn. The story goes on under the ad
Can humans catch bird flu?
Dr. Shayan Sharif is Professor and Associate Rector at the Ontario College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Guelph. He told Global News that the virus found in the outbreak was part of a “very large family of flu viruses”. Sharif explained that while some of the flu viruses are pathogenic — they can cause disease in humans — others cannot. “This particular virus, or more scientifically speaking, this particular subtype of influenza virus, is one that is commonly found in bird species: poultry, migratory birds, and so on.” Trending Stories
Non-smoker hit $ 400 for smoking by car rental company Federal authorities are considering adding amplifiers to COVID-19 to be considered fully vaccinated
Sharif said it was “quite deadly” to some bird species, but less so to others. “So poultry – and I’m talking about chickens and turkeys – are very sensitive to this particular strain of the flu virus,” he said, adding that they can die within 48 hours of becoming ill.
Read more: Toronto Zoo closes poultry farms after bird flu outbreak in southern Ontario
Sharif said that at present, the virus is not pathogenic to humans, which means that it will not make people sick. “But there is always the concern that this virus could acquire the ability to become pathogenic or cause disease in humans,” he said. “Because the bird flu virus, like many other viruses, such as COVID-19, can be mutated.” The story goes on under the ad He said that when the virus mutates, it can spread between species, including humans. “If you go back to the early 2000s, probably until the late 2000s, there were a few hundred cases of human infection, not exactly the virus itself, but the virus that was also H5N1,” he explained. “Especially in Southeast Asia, especially in North Africa, as well as in some parts of China, this has become quite common and has caused significant amounts of mortality, in fact, in humans.” Sharif said “fortunately” that “there is no evidence” that the existing subtype has infected humans so far.
Can people get sick by eating poultry?
Sharif said it was also “extremely, extremely unlikely” that this bird flu could find its way into the human food system, meaning that humans would not catch the virus from eating poultry. “This particular strain of the virus is quite sensitive to heat,” he explained. “So heating the chicken and heating the eggs could very easily eliminate the virus.” In the past, Sharif said those affected by bird flu were people who were found to have “close contact” with poultry. “Especially in live markets in China and elsewhere in Southeast Asia,” he explained.
How big an outbreak will this be?
Sharif said that what is not clear at the moment is how far this epidemic could spread. He noted that it has already been located in “various areas of the province”. The story goes on under the ad “I have the feeling that we have probably not seen the end of this epidemic or series of epidemics, we will probably see more of them appear in the near future,” he said. Sharif said we are also looking at the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to understanding how widespread it is among migratory birds. He said that while the virus could quickly kill some migratory birds, others were “actually resistant to the virus”. This means that they could act as a reservoir for the virus, transport it to other areas and transport it to new environments. “It simply came to our notice then. We have no way of knowing that. “We can not take a sample of all the migratory birds in Ontario,” he said. Ireland told the Canadian press that the CFIA believed that wild migratory waterfowl were the main reservoir for the bird flu virus and were responsible for transmitting the disease to the area. He said the virus could also be transmitted to farms from contaminated manure and contaminated waste.
Read more: Quebec wildlife authorities report first bird flu outbreaks in wild birds
In addition, Sharif said the virus could mutate and jump species and infect dogs, cats or other farm animals. The story goes on under the ad “Influenza viruses are actually quite good at adapting to new environments,” he said. “And they usually have a very limited amount of barrier items. “So they can really jump freely from one host animal to another.” “This is exactly why we are concerned about the spread of this subtype in Ontario,” he said. – with files from The Canadian Press © 2022 Global News, part of Corus Entertainment Inc.
