Avian flu detected in commercial flock in western Nova Scotia

In this Nov. 16, 2009 file photo, chickens stand in their cages at a farm near Stuart, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

HALIFAX — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says avian flu has been detected in a commercial flock in western Nova Scotia.

The agency said Friday in a news release it notified the World Organisation for Animal Health after a subtype of high pathogenic avian influenza was found on Thursday.

It does not specify the type of birds affected by the pathogen.

The CFIA says it has placed the premises under quarantine and has established a restricted movement control zone of 10 kilometres around the infected premises.

According to the CFIA, avian flu is a viral infection that only affects birds.

In a release from the Nova Scotia Poultry Emergency Response Planning Committee, it says in the rare case that the disease is transmitted to humans, it is usually through direct and prolonged exposure to infected birds. The committee adds that avian flu is not a foodborne disease and is not passed on to humans as the result of eating poultry or eggs.

"In an emergency, the N.S. poultry industry works together through its Poultry Emergency Response Planning Committee made up of stakeholders from all poultry sectors," read a release from Chris Bell, with the Nova Scotia Poultry Response Planning Committee. "The Committee issued a Red Alert to all commercial operations on January 31."

The committee is also asking anyone who raises domestic fowl on their property to watch for signs of avian flu and take all precautions to keep their birds away from wild birds.

The agency says the same strain of avian flu was also detected in a backyard flock in eastern Nova Scotia on Tuesday, adding that the detection was "non-poultry."

It says avian flu of the same strain has also recently been found in wild birds in Newfoundland and in a wild goose in central Nova Scotia.

Avian flu, also known as bird flu, is a contagious viral infection that affects some food-producing birds like poultry, pets birds and wild birds. The H5N1 virus present in Asia can cause disease in humans.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2022.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News.

With files from CTV Atlantic.