How the risk of Bird Flu is being managed in Ontario

Gary Sliworsky
Ag. Rep.

Avian Influenza, or “Bird Flu”, continues to be in the headlines daily. The following summarizes the current Avian Influenza situation and the efforts underway to manage the risk of AI spread in Ontario.

Highly Pathogenic H5N1 (Asia) Key Points:
• The H5N1 (Asia) strain has been reported in at least 50 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa since 2003.
• This strain is more pathogenic to many species of wild and domestic birds, humans and other mammals than other known strains of AI virus.
• Currently, H5N1 (Asia) does not easily cross from birds to humans. Almost all cases in humans to date had direct contact with infected birds or their feces, and there is no reason for the public to avoid eating properly handled and cooked poultry and eggs.
• Cases in domestic cats have been reported; these have also resulted from direct exposure to infected birds. Transmission from cats to humans has not been demonstrated.
• There is some evidence of transmission to swine. The role of swine in the epidemiology of this virus is unclear, but swine are always a concern with respect to mixing of influenza viruses.
• The virus is likely being spread both by wild bird migration and by the movement of live poultry, contaminated people and equipment.
• Poor biosecurity allows the virus to infect commercial poultry operations and spread to other farms.
• Some wildlife experts predict H5N1 (Asia) will be detected in North America in 2006.
• Concerns about a human pandemic are based on the possibility of mutations of the avian influenza virus or recombination with human influenza viruses, which would allow for effective, and sustainable, transmission from person to person. These are essential factors in the evolution of a pandemic strain, and it is uncertain if these changes will occur with this particular virus.

What is Ontario doing to manage the risk?
• The poultry industry marketing boards are including mandatory biosecurity standards in their On-Farm Food Safety programs. Service industries, such as livestock feed suppliers, are developing and adopting farm visit biosecurity protocols and guidelines. These measures are aimed to be effective against AI and a broad range of hazards.
• The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) is undertaking a wild bird survey for the second consecutive year, focusing on those species and areas where H5N1 is most likely to be found. For more information on the 2006 survey see the CCWHC web site http://wildlife1.usask.ca/en/aiv/index.php
• Contingency planning is occurring at the provincial and national levels with government, wildlife and poultry industry representatives. The focus of these discussions is risk assessment and response in the event H5N1 is discovered in North America, Canada or Ontario.
• OMAFRA, the Poultry Industry Council and the University of Guelph are developing training and educational resources for non-regulated, hobby and small flock owners on the basics of biosecurity and disease prevention. This project will also develop training materials for veterinarians on the recognition and management of poultry diseases, and basic biosecurity guidelines for poultry clients,
complemented by a series of seminars and wet lab sessions planned for the fall of 2006. Further details will be available later in the summer.