Unlike previous strains that were isolated in geography, the new threat is spreading across the country. The strain is highly pathogenic and can cause serious disease and death in birds.
But the enemy that farmers and scientists now face represents an unprecedented challenge, experts say.
This year, H5N1 has infected about 200 flocks with more than 3.5 million birds Canada-wide. Worryingly, deaths of wild birds are spiking, amid fears the disease has become endemic in Canada. "This particular strain, the H5N1 virus, is causing increased mortalities in many of our wild bird species, and when it gets into poultry flocks, it's also causing increased mortality," Burns said.
"For to be detected in a wild bird, first you have to find the carcass, then the carcass has to get submitted to the lab, then it has to be tested. So, we imagine that there's many birds that might be dying that we're not able to detect." Nickel, a commercial poultry farmer in Abbotsford and member of the BC Chicken Marketing Board, said B.C. has not suffered terrible loss when compared to other provinces and previous seasons.
Biosecurity and emergency management measures introduced after the 2004 outbreak helped to control the spread of the virus in 2009 and 2014. Each outbreak has allowed the province and its farmers to improve and refine its response, Nickel said. "We are getting tired. It's exhausting to be on all the time," Nickel said. "We are having to rethink how we are going to manage this going forward."
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