High-path avian flu reaches Alaska

U.S. federal animal health officials have confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard flock in southern Alaska, showing the extent of current outbreaks’ reach across North America.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said Saturday it had confirmed the presence of high-path avian flu in a “non-poultry” backyard flock of 30 birds in the borough of Matanuska-Susitna, just north of Anchorage.

In all, as of Thursday, APHIS said it has confirmed high-path avian flu in 171 commercial poultry flocks and 112 backyard flocks in 32 states, seven of which — Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Vermont — border directly onto Canada. So far, APHIS puts the number of domestic U.S. birds affected at about 37.36 million.

As of April 28, about 1.37 million domestic Canadian birds are estimated to have been impacted by avian flu outbreaks across nine of 10 provinces.

Since that time, and since our last report on this website, the Canadian Food Inspection has confirmed more outbreaks of avian flu in commercial poultry as well as backyard birds.

In Alberta, two commercial poultry flocks — one at Wainwright and one in Lethbridge County — as well as a small flock in the county of Two Hills, were all confirmed Sunday. All three are considered “poultry” for the purposes of Canada’s avian flu status with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

In Ontario, two commercial flocks in the Regional Municipality of York were confirmed on Wednesday and the previous Friday. Two small flocks in Halton municipality and Wellington County were also confirmed Wednesday. All four flocks are considered “poultry.”

In British Columbia, three small flocks have been confirmed with the virus: one each in Kelowna and Richmond, both confirmed Tuesday, and one in the Regional District of Central Kootenay, confirmed April 27. Only the Kelowna case is considered “non-poultry.”

In Quebec, two small flocks have been confirmed infected: one “poultry” flock in the Haut-Saint-Laurent region, confirmed Tuesday, and one “non-poultry” flock in the La Riviere-du-Nord region, confirmed Wednesday.

In Saskatchewan, a small “non-poultry” flock was confirmed infected April 27 in the southeastern R.M. of Kingsley, south of Broadview.

The new findings bring Canada’s total outbreaks in flocks classified as “poultry” by the OIE — whether in commercial or small flocks — to 59 so far this year across eight provinces, including 22 in southern Ontario, 19 in central and southern Alberta, six in southern Quebec, five in southern and central Saskatchewan, three in southern B.C., two in western Nova Scotia and one each in eastern Manitoba and southeastern New Brunswick.

Ontario’s Feather Board Command Centre, a poultry and egg industry agency monitoring bird disease outbreaks, said that out of 55 Canadian outbreaks as of April 29, 48 per cent of the total domestic birds lost were on broiler breeder operations, while commercial ducks made up 25 per cent, turkeys nine per cent, and 17 per cent were “other” including broiler chickens, layer hens and other birds.

Globally, the FBCC said, close to 100 million domestic birds have been lost during this avian influenza season, which started last fall in Europe and Asia and reached North America in December, when Canada’s first case was seen in a non-poultry flock on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula.

Most of the cases are attributed to migratory and other wild birds being directly or indirectly exposed to poultry, the FBCC said Thursday. Ongoing high wild bird infection pressure will “expose any biosecurity weaknesses, resulting in more outbreaks.”

That said, increases in temperatures and sunlight intensity as days grow longer “should reduce the level of environmental contamination” as virus survival rates are reduced and the virus’ decay accelerates. — Glacier FarmMedia Network