EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

In early December, an outbreak of Avian Influenza suddenly hit poultry farms in the populated Fraser Valley, near Vancouver, British Columbia. Immediately, several countries banned imports of poultry products from either BC or Canada. The BC Ministry of Agriculture, Emergency Management BC, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the RCMP, and local authorities were mobilized. Initially four farms were quarantined; within a few days another farm tested positive; in a week, a couple more…

Technically, the virus is H5N2, a not-so-uncommon strain. Human flu viruses are also a combination of H and N. But the shocker is that this AI is “high pathogenic” or more virulent, as opposed to the weaker “low pathogenic” strains of the past. This is only the 3^rd time that High Path has been detected in a poultry flock in North America in 30 years! It’s very contagious; therefore, the worry about infections in 10^thfarms and counting.

At this writing, about 250,000 chickens or turkeys will be euthanized to eradicate the disease. Not all have shown disease symptoms, but are killed because they are in the proximity. Numerous nearby farms have been quarantined and are being carefully monitored. Movement in and out of rural roads in the Fraser Valley are being supervised.

So what’s the big deal? The virus affects only chickens. In fact, we can consume with confidence the poultry and eggs from animals with the infection, as long as they are cooked. The big deal is that AI devastates the poultry industry, causing sick birds that don’t grow or lay eggs to their potential. In some foreign countries, AI is endemic, meaning it’s out of control. T hese countries don’t rely on a strong poultry export market, like Canada.

The other possibility is that the avian virus will ‘reassort’ to become contagious to humans. Approximately 2/3 of animal diseases are also succeptible to people, including viruses. I am sure many of you remember the H1N1 scare. It was first called swine flu, because of being detected in pigs, which by the way, have many similar physiological characteristics to humans. This is why we sometimes hear of a transplant of, say, a pig heart valve to a person.  Researchers are watching the reassortment possibility closely.

The Avian Influenza outbreak may cost Canada literally hundreds of millions of dollars in disease eradication costs, replacement flocks, consumer confidence, and export market loss.  Hopefully the aftermath will contain a thorough review of both this disease event. With a background in agriculture and emergency management, I am involved in the province improving its animal disease prevention practices, as well as an effective multi-agency response to an outbreak. This will be a small silver lining around an otherwise very dark cloud above many poultry farmers in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.

Thanks for reading.