Four cases of bird flu detected in Quebec farms

The avian flu is beginning to infiltrate Quebec farms, reported at four separate sites in less than a week.

On Sunday, Canada’s food inspection agency (CFIA) confirmed detection of the H5N1 strain at a poultry flock in Les Sources, a municipality in Quebec’s Estrie region.

Bird flu was also detected in the Brome-Missisquoi, Hait-Saint-Francois and Val-Saint-Francois regions last week.

“The infected sites have been placed under quarantine,” reads the CFIA website. “The CFIA has established movement control measures and is recommending that other farms in the area increase biosecurity.”

Until April 12, the highly infectious strain had only been identified among wild geese in Quebec, but has evidently made its way into domesticated populations.

H5N1 can do serious damage to poultry farms, leading to high mortality rates.

Its risks are far less severe for humans, although experts advise anyone infected to seek immediate medical care.

“There are things that you can do to help, including the early use of antiviral medication and support in an intensive care unit,” explains McGill infectious diseases expert Dr. Raymond Tellier.

Quebec’s wildlife ministry has urged the public not to handle live or dead wild birds to prevent the spread.

The virus has been circulating in Europe since 2020 and in Canada since Dec. 2021.