Health
‘Potentially devastating’: Bird flu cases in mammals put Canadian scientists on alert
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A rise in mammals infected with bird flu has put Canadian wildlife and public health experts on alert, as recent research by federal scientists warns of a “potentially devastating pandemic” if the virus tearing through poultry flocks eventually mutates to spread efficiently between humans.
Avian influenza cases are very rare in humans – there have been fewer than a dozen confirmed H5N1 cases globally since 2020 – and no instances of it passing from human to human. But experts say public health agencies are right to keep a close eye on how the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 evolves.
“There are enough red flags that we’re beholden to prepare,” said Dr. Samira Mubareka, an infectious disease specialist and clinician scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute and the University of Toronto.
H5N1 was first identified in 1996, but a new type of the virus emerged in 2020. It was first detected in North America in late 2021 and has since decimated flocks of wild and domesticated birds, resulting in millions of poultry deaths across Canada either from infection or culls to prevent its spread.
While cases in mammals are to be expected during a bird flu outbreak, Mubareka said part of what’s captured the attention of scientists is the range of species infected.
“If the virus spills over into new species, it always gains an opportunity to mutate and adapt even further,” she said. “So this is really an unprecedented level of viral activity for H5N1.”
Last week, the first Canadian case in a pet dog was reported, adding to hundreds of confirmed cases in wild skunks, foxes, mink and other mammals since the start of last year. This month, three outbreaks were confirmed at poultry operations east of Montreal and a fourth at a farm west of London, Ont., with farmers bracing for a possible wave of cases as migratory birds return this spring.
Public health agencies in Canada, the U.S. and Europe agree the risk to human health remains low, with cases almost always limited to direct contact with infected birds or contaminated environments, such as a poultry barn. There is no risk associated with eating thoroughly cooked poultry products.
Scientists, however, are studying the virus closely.
In a paper published last month, scientists with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency working out of a lab in Winnipeg, where Canadian cases of H5N1 are confirmed and genetically sequenced, looked at cases in 40 different wild mammals. The researchers found the virus had undergone some “critical mutations,” though the agency said the chances of human spillover remains minimal.
“The spillover of these viruses from wild birds to mammals could cause a potentially devastating pandemic if the H5N1 viruses mutate into forms that can spread efficiently among the mammalian species,” read the paper, published in the peer-reviewed journal Emerging Microbes & Infections.
The critical mutations researchers uncovered involved part of the virus that helped it make copies of itself, adding to similar findings reported globally. In 17 per cent of the cases, the scientists found changes that gave the virus better advantages to replicate in humans.
But, in an encouraging sign, the researchers wrote the virus had not developed a strong preference to lock on to receptors in a person’s nose, mouth and throat – the target of an influenza virus and a key to human infection.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said it takes the situation “very seriously,” with multiple surveillance networks to monitor and track influenza viruses. Together with lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it said it has been able to build H5N1-specific plans across government departments.
Shayan Sharif, professor and acting dean at the Ontario Veterinary College, said he is most concerned about the possibility that the virus is going to change to the point where it becomes more dangerous to humans and gains the capacity for human-to-human transmission.
“I don’t think that this virus is going to go anywhere,” he said. “I hope that I’m wrong.”
The U.S. Centre for Disease Control said it recently produced a candidate vaccine virus for H5N1 that could be used to produce a vaccine for people, if needed.
As for poultry, Canada, along with the U.S., has so far been reluctant to roll out an H5N1 vaccine campaign for the birds, but it’s a step Sharif said the government should consider.
The European Union’s 27 member states have agreed to implement a bird flu vaccine strategy, with Mexico, Egypt and China on the growing list of countries inoculating chickens against H5N1.
Sharif, whose expertise is in avian influenza immunology in chickens, said targeted vaccination could help prevent poultry losses and reduce the spread of the virus, but it has also proven controversial given some import trade bans on vaccinated poultry over fears the birds could unintentionally introduce the virus.
Marc Betrand, a veterinary specialist with the CFIA, said Canada is not ready to roll out a vaccine strategy. The H5N1 chicken vaccines “are not that efficient,” he said, and could end up triggering more mutations to the virus.
The CFIA, which heads up the federal response to H5N1 in farmed birds, said measures such as routine cleaning and isolating new birds are key to prevent outbreaks.
Avian flu has also been hitting wild bird populations in a “completely unprecedented” way, said Catherine Soos, a wildlife disease specialist and a research scientist with Environment Canada.
The federal agency is charged with monitoring migratory birds and species at risk. It will be keeping a close eye this spring on migratory bird populations returning north, bringing potentially new versions of the virus, Soos said.
It’s also watching to see how certain wild bird species hit hard by H5N1 bounce back this year. About 1,600 breeding female Common eiders turned up dead last year along the Gulf of St. Lawrence, an estimated five to 15 per cent of the population, Soos said.
“We definitely want to monitor these populations,” she said.
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NEWS RELEASE
SOUTHLAKE REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE
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This Cancer Awareness Month, Southlake is adding advanced technologies to detect and treat breast cancer and other women’s cancers thanks to generous community donor support, most recently through the HERE is Where Cancer Meets its Match campaign. New cancer care technology, including new mammography machines, the MyoSure System and the MOLLI 2® System will make a measurable impact in diagnosing and treating women’s cancers in the communities Southlake serves.
Southlake is installing three new mammography machines to expand its breast cancer screening program to 1,500 more women each year. Two of these machines have new biopsy capabilities that will reduce the number of cancelled exams due to equipment failure, ensuring timely care for women. Women ages 40 to 49 years old will be able to self-refer for publicly funded mammograms through the Ontario Breast Screening Program starting this fall.
“Early detection is critical when treating breast cancer and other women’s cancers,” said Lorrie Reynolds, Director, Regional Cancer Program at Southlake. “We treat more than 1,700 breast cancer patients at Southlake every year. By adding advanced technology, like the new mammography machines, we’re ensuring women have the best experience at Southlake.”
Southlake is also introducing the MyoSure System, an innovative technology that can help detect female reproductive cancers. Damaged tissue in a woman’s uterus such as fibroids and polyps can now be removed in a precise, minimally invasive procedure that leaves the rest of the uterus intact. This will improve the overall patient experience by supporting faster recovery, reducing the risk of infection and giving more women the option to have children. An estimated 200 women per year will benefit from the MyoSure System.
The new mammography machines and the MyoSure System build on Southlake’s recent investment in the MOLLI 2® System, a made-in-Canada wire-free breast localization technology. This technology is considerably less invasive and more accurate when compared to wire-guided localization, resulting in a better patient experience and improved cosmetic outcomes. More than 200 women each year will benefit from this innovative medical device as they are treated for breast cancer at Southlake.
“As a clinician caring for women with cancer in our community, I’m incredibly proud of the work Southlake is doing to advance women’s health and improve patient experiences,” said Sara Temple, MD, Surgical Oncologist and Chief of Surgery at Southlake. “Women who visit Southlake can be confident that they are receiving leading edge care, close to home when they need it most.”
The World Health Organization anticipates a 77 per cent increase in cancer diagnoses by 2050. Southlake serves some of the fastest growing communities in Canada and anticipates that the number of patients requiring cancer care will grow. By investing in new technology, Southlake is ensuring that women in the communities it serves have access to leading edge cancer care. All of these investments were funded with support from community donors who generously gave to Southlake to support investments into women’s health at the hospital.
“The generosity of our donor community and the impact they have made for women receiving cancer diagnosis and treatment at Southlake is something we can all take great pride in,” said Jennifer Ritter, President and CEO of Southlake Foundation. “From our Women’s Health Initiative donors supporting new mammography machines, to the Ladies in Philanthropy for Southlake funding the MOLLI 2 System, to our long-standing partners The Edge Benefits and Pheasant Run Golf Club enabling the introduction of MyoSure System through their joint annual charity golf tournament, we are incredibly lucky to share a vision of access to exceptional care for everyone who depends on Southlake when they need us most. Thank you, to every donor who contributed to these important upgrades to care for women.”
Southlake Foundation’s HERE is Where Cancer Meets its Match campaign supports the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre at Southlake. For more information or to make a donation, visit: southlake.ca/HERE.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that samples of pasteurized milk have tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows.
The agency stressed that the material is inactivated and that the findings “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” Officials added that they’re continuing to study the issue.
“To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the FDA said in a statement on Tuesday.
The announcement comes nearly a month after an avian influenza virus that has sickened millions of wild and commercial birds in recent years was detected in dairy cows in at least eight states. The Agriculture Department (USDA) says 33 herds have been affected to date.
FDA officials didn’t indicate how many samples they tested or where they were obtained. The agency has been evaluating milk during processing and from grocery stores, officials said. Results of additional tests are expected in “the next few days to weeks.”
WATCH | Bird flu spread in U.S. cows:
For the first time ever, avian influenza, or H5N1 bird flu, was detected in roughly a dozen dairy cow herds across the U.S. About That producer Lauren Bird explores why scientists and public health officials are concerned about the cross-species transmission and whether humans are now at higher risk.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) lab test the FDA used would have detected viral genetic material even after live virus was killed by pasteurization, or heat treatment, said Lee-Ann Jaykus, an emeritus food microbiologist and virologist at North Carolina State University
“There is no evidence to date that this is infectious virus, and the FDA is following up on that,” Jaykus said.
Officials with the FDA and the USDA had previously said milk from affected cattle did not enter the commercial supply. Milk from sick animals is supposed to be diverted and destroyed. Federal regulations require milk that enters interstate commerce to be pasteurized.
Tests for viable virus underway, agency says
Because the detection of the bird flu virus known as Type A H5N1 in dairy cattle is new and the situation is evolving, no studies on the effects of pasteurization on the virus have been completed, FDA officials said. But past research shows that pasteurization is “very likely” to inactivate heat-sensitive viruses like H5N1, the agency added.
The agency said it has been evaluating milk from affected animals, in the processing system and on the shelves. It said it is completing a large, representative national sample to understand the extent of the findings.
Matt Herrick, a spokesperson for the International Dairy Foods Association, said that time and temperature regulations for pasteurization ensure that the commercial U.S. milk supply is safe. Remnants of the virus “have zero impact on human health,” he wrote in an email.
Scientists confirmed the H5N1 virus in dairy cows in March after weeks of reports that cows in Texas were suffering from a mysterious malady. The cows were lethargic and saw a dramatic reduction in milk production. Although the H5N1 virus is lethal to commercial poultry, most infected cattle seem to recover within two weeks, experts said.
To date, two people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu. A Texas dairy worker who was in close contact with an infected cow recently developed a mild eye infection and has recovered. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a Colorado poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that samples of pasteurized milk had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows.
The agency stressed that the material is inactivated and that the findings “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” Officials added that they’re continuing to study the issue.
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