As cases of bird flu continue to be detected in Ontario, and now in Quebec, one expert says containing the virus is critical to preventing a large-scale outbreak.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the H5N1 strain has been detected in a backyard flock in the Township of Chippewas of Nawash, and in poultry flocks in Woolwhich, Zorra and Guelph.
On Monday, officials said the virus was also detected in wild birds in Quebec.
What is bird flu and can humans get sick? Here’s a closer look at what’s going on.
What does bird flu look like?
According to the CFIA, there are a number of “clinical signs” that can be found in infected birds.
There will be a drop in the production of eggs, many of which are soft-shelled or shell-less. Birds may have diarrhea or haemorrhages on the leg, and may be quiet, showing signs of extreme depression.
Birds with the flu may also present with swelling under their eyes, and their wattles and combs may become swollen and congested.
According to the CFIA, there is no treatment for birds with the disease.
“Vaccinating the birds may play a role in reducing the spread of the disease but it does not eliminate the virus,” the CFIA website states.
Dr. Mary-Jane Ireland chief veterinary officer for the CFIA, told the Canadian Press that infected birds can shed the virus in their saliva, natal secretions and feces.
“And it can spread through contact with surfaces,” she said.
Ireland said that includes shoes, litter, bedding, feed and water.
She said anyone who has birds should keep them away from wild birds, and frequently clean the poultry coops, water, feeders and clothing.
They should also control what goes in and out of the coop or barn.
Can humans contract the bird flu?
Dr. Shayan Sharif is a professor and associate dean with the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.
He told Global News the virus that has been detected in this outbreak is a member of a “very large family of influenza viruses.”
Sharif explained that while some of the influenza viruses are pathogenic — they can cause disease in humans — others can’t.
“This particular virus, or more scientifically speaking, this particular subtype of influenza virus, is a one that is usually found in avian species: in poultry, in migratory birds and so on.”
Sharif said is it “quite deadly” in some avian species, but less so in others.
“So poultry — and I’m talking about chickens and turkeys — they’re very susceptible to this particular strain of influenza virus,” he said, adding they can die within 48 hours of falling ill.
Sharif said currently, the virus is not pathogenic to humans, meaning it won’t cause people to become sick.
“But there is always the concern that this virus could gain capability to become pathogenic or disease-causing for humans,” he said. “Because avian influenza virus just like many other viruses, for example COVID-19, can mutate.”
He said when the virus mutates, it can jump between species, including to humans.
“If you go back to early 2000s, up to probably the late 2000s, there were a few hundred cases of human infection, not exactly the same virus, but the virus that was also H5N1,” he explained. “Especially in southeast Asia, especially in North Africa, and also some parts of China, this became quite prevalent, and it caused significant amounts of mortality actually, in humans.”
Sharif said “thankfully” there is “no evidence” the present subtype has infected humans so far.
Can people become sick by eating poultry?
Sharif said it’s also “extremely, extremely unlikely” this bird flu could find it’s way to the human food system, meaning people won’t catch the virus from eating poultry.
“This particular strain of virus is quite susceptible to heat,” he explained. “So heating chicken meat and heating eggs could very easily obliterate the virus.”
In the past, Sharif said those who have contracted avian influenzas were people who were found to have had “close contact” with poultry.
“Especially in live markets in China and other places in southeast Asia,” he explained.
How big of an outbreak will this become?
Sharif said what isn’t clear right now, is how far this outbreak could spread. He noted that it has already been detected in “various regions of the province.”
“I have a sense that probably we haven’t seen the end of this outbreak or the series of outbreaks, probably we’re going to see more of these popping up over the next little while,” he said.
Sharif said we are also looking at the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to understanding how far it has spread among migratory birds.
He said while the virus can kill some migratory birds quickly, others are “actually resistant to the virus.”
This means they could act as a reservoir for the virus, carry it to other areas and shed it into new environments.
“That would be quite disconcerting because we have no way of knowing. We can’t sample all of the migratory birds in Ontario,” he said.
Ireland told the Canadian Press that the CFIA believes wild migratory aquatic birds are the major reservoir for the bird flu virus, and are responsible for bringing the disease into the area.
She said the virus can also be brought into farms from contaminated manure and contaminated litter.
What’s more, Sharif said the virus could mutate and jump species and infect dogs, cats or other farm animals.
“Influenza viruses are actually quite good at adapting themselves to the new environments,” he said. “And they usually have very limited amount of species barrier. So they can actually jump quite freely from one animal host animal to another animal host.”
“That’s precisely why we are concerned about this subtype spreading in Ontario,” he said.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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