The Chinese Republics
02-11-2005, 04:16
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_avian-flu20051101
Flu virus found in B.C. wild birds
Last updated Nov 1 2005 06:31 PM PST
CBC News
For the first time, the H5 strain of the avian flu virus has been found in B.C. But provincial health officials say the test results on wild birds in the B.C. Interior are no cause for alarm.
Veterinary officials tested 700 apparently healthy birds from the Merritt area in August. Now the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture that at least 14 birds – and as many as 174 birds – have the H5 virus.
Millions of chickens were killed last year when a different strain of the bird flu virus was found in the Fraser Valley.
The H5 virus is potentially more serious because it has infected humans in Asia. However, it's not clear whether the H5 virus discovered in the wild birds here is the same N1 substrain that has killed 62 people in four Asian countries.
But B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall says that's unlikely. He notes the strain in Asia is unusual because it makes birds and humans sick, while the B.C. birds have no symptoms.
"This has come from healthy young birds. So this really adds no additional risk whatsoever for human health impact," he says.
B.C.'s chief veterinarian says while it's common for wild birds to carry a flu virus, his officials didn't expect what they found.
"I can tell you right off the top there's no question we're surprised by the large number of samples containing the H5 virus," says Dr. Ron Lewis,
But Lewis says there's no evidence of any disease in wild birds or in commercial poultry.
On Monday, wild birds in Quebec and Manitoba turned up carrying H5 flu viruses. Authorities don't know yet if those birds have the dangerous H5N1 subtype.
Lewis also says B.C. has a higher proportion of infected birds than Manitoba or Quebec, where the H5 bird virus was reported on Monday.
Samples from those provinces, and from B.C., are being sent to the national lab in Winnipeg for further testing.
***
We all gonna die.......
Flu virus found in B.C. wild birds
Last updated Nov 1 2005 06:31 PM PST
CBC News
For the first time, the H5 strain of the avian flu virus has been found in B.C. But provincial health officials say the test results on wild birds in the B.C. Interior are no cause for alarm.
Veterinary officials tested 700 apparently healthy birds from the Merritt area in August. Now the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture that at least 14 birds – and as many as 174 birds – have the H5 virus.
Millions of chickens were killed last year when a different strain of the bird flu virus was found in the Fraser Valley.
The H5 virus is potentially more serious because it has infected humans in Asia. However, it's not clear whether the H5 virus discovered in the wild birds here is the same N1 substrain that has killed 62 people in four Asian countries.
But B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall says that's unlikely. He notes the strain in Asia is unusual because it makes birds and humans sick, while the B.C. birds have no symptoms.
"This has come from healthy young birds. So this really adds no additional risk whatsoever for human health impact," he says.
B.C.'s chief veterinarian says while it's common for wild birds to carry a flu virus, his officials didn't expect what they found.
"I can tell you right off the top there's no question we're surprised by the large number of samples containing the H5 virus," says Dr. Ron Lewis,
But Lewis says there's no evidence of any disease in wild birds or in commercial poultry.
On Monday, wild birds in Quebec and Manitoba turned up carrying H5 flu viruses. Authorities don't know yet if those birds have the dangerous H5N1 subtype.
Lewis also says B.C. has a higher proportion of infected birds than Manitoba or Quebec, where the H5 bird virus was reported on Monday.
Samples from those provinces, and from B.C., are being sent to the national lab in Winnipeg for further testing.
***
We all gonna die.......