September 28, 2007

Canadian government quarantines chicken farm in Saskatchewan

A Saskatchewan chicken farm has been quarantined because of avian flu, Canadian Press has reported.

But a government source familiar with the investigation says the virus is not the type that is dangerous to humans.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is expected to say more about the quarantine at a news conference in Regina at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

The large chicken farm is about 40 kilometres north of the city near the community of Regina Beach and has been quarantined since Wednesday (September 26).

An outbreak of one strain of avian flu on a poultry operation in British Columbia in 2004 saw two people infected, but they suffered only mild flu-like symptoms.

However, the poultry industry took a major blow when the disease forced the destruction of more than 17 million birds.