Bird flu has spread far and wide, infecting a range of species like chickens, skunks, cows, foxes and polar bears and renewing questions about what level of risk it poses to people as a B.C. teenager remains in critical condition in hospital after being infected. But it’s the recent jump to pigs that has experts…
People have been hearing a lot about H5N1 bird flu — or highly pathogenic avian influenza — since a B.C. teen became the first human to get the virus in Canada and is in hospital. It’s not yet known how the teen got infected, but Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said on…
British Columbia’s chief veterinarian has told clinics that treat wild birds that they must establish protocols to prevent the spread of avian flu, warning of the risk of human exposure to the illness. Dr. Theresa Burns said in a letter to vets last week that reporting of sick and dead wild birds across the province…
Health Canada has authorized three influenza vaccines that could be used if bird flu became a pandemic, the agency says. The federal government also has an agreement with vaccine manufacturer GSK for domestic vaccine production that could be accelerated if needed, the Public Health Agency of Canada told The Canadian Press in an email. There…
A pig at an Oregon farm was found to have bird flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. It’s the first time the virus has been detected in U.S. swine and raises concerns about bird flu’s potential to become a human threat. The infection happened at a backyard farm in Crook County, in the…
Every half hour, staff and volunteers at Oak Hammock Marsh check on the dozen nets scattered around the site. “We are fishing for birds,” said the marsh’s Resident Naturalist Paula Grieef with a chuckle. “It’s called mist netting for birds.” The netting is fine enough to trap small songbirds, like sparrows, robins, and warblers. Staff…
