November 24, 2005

Canada's British Columbia reports second bird flu case

Canada's British Columbia province has reported a second farm in Fraser Valley has been hit by bird flu. However, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said this did not mean the situation was worsening.

The farm was operated by the same owner of the farm where a duck was found infected with the virus recently.

CFIA has quarantined another four sites operated by the farmer, and testing at one of those sites reportedly revealed several positive results for the H5 bird flu strain.

The agency said all birds on the second farm would be culled in a bid to curb the virus's spread.

Meanwhile, the owner of the infected farms said he hoped authorities would reconsider about culling the birds, as the virus found was "non-virulent and low pathogenic" with "no risk to human health."

Ken Nickel, a spokesman for British Columbia's Ministry of Agriculture sympathised with the farmer, but said the cull was necessary and appropriate compensation would be worked out.

Nickel added that while the virus was a low pathogenic strain, it might mutate into a more virulent one if left unchecked in the bird population.

Meanwhile, he reported that 407 chicken samples from 17 farms within a five-kilometre zone around the infected farm, have all tested negative for bird flu.