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Presumptive cases of avian flu in skunks, foxes found in Sask. – CBC.ca

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Presumptive cases of avian flu are showing up in some species of mammals in Saskatchewan.

Trent Bollinger is a wildlife pathologist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. 

He told CBC News the first presumptive case of avian flu in a “major carnivore” came into the lab about three weeks ago. 

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As of the last week, six to ten more have been tested.

“These are primarily skunks, with the occasional red fox, that have neurological signs which could be attributed to (high pathogenic) avian influenza virus,” he said. 

Bollinger noted there are other viral diseases — such as distemper and rabies — that cause similar symptoms in these species.

However, recent molecular diagnostic tests point to avian flu as the most likely cause in at least three of the cases.

“We have several others that that we’ve done autopsies on and are investigating further. And that could cause the numbers to go up,” Bollinger said. 

The transmission to mammals is not a surprise to Bollinger, who said cases have been showing up in the United States. 

“But we’re seeing a fair number, which is maybe a bit unusual. So we’ll see as time goes on,” he said. 

Mortality to continue through summer

The pathologist says he expects more waterfowl, which are at high risk of viral transmission, will succumb to the avian flu through the summer.

He noted a “peak of activity”, referring to the number of birds dying from the virus, during the spring migration through the prairies. 

While he expects those numbers to decline through the next few months, there’s another vulnerable group: baby birds. 

“We’re going to have new cohorts of ducklings and young juveniles that that could be exposed as well,” he said. 

“So we may see, again, an uptick in mortalities that the public is observing.”

Bollinger said bird species most affected by the virus appear to be “relatively abundant”, and that mortality rates are not significantly impacting those populations at this time.

He noted the bigger concern is spread into poultry flocks, which have to be depopulated en masse and have economic implications. 

Bollinger said transmission to people and domestic pets, such as dogs and cats, doesn’t seem to be happening.

What to watch for

Bollinger said people who spot an animal “acting abnormally”, should avoid touching the animal, and contact a conservation officer.

However, if the animal subsequently dies and there’s concern it could be avian flu, people can pick up the animal with latex gloves or a plastic bag to get it to a diagnostic lab.

“Bring it into the vet college here. We will do an autopsy on it, determine cause of death and then report back those findings,” he said.

He added that the lab has not seen the disease in domestic pets, such as dogs and cats, and there’s no concern about transmission there at the moment. 

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RCMP warn about benzodiazepine-laced fentanyl tied to overdose in Alberta – Edmonton Journal

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Grande Prairie RCMP issued a warning Friday after it was revealed fentanyl linked to a deadly overdose was mixed with a chemical that doesn’t respond to naloxone treatment.

The drugs were initially seized on Feb. 28 after a fatal overdose, and this week, Health Canada reported back to Mounties that the fentanyl had been mixed with Bromazolam, which is a benzodiazepine.

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Mounties say this is the first recorded instance of Bromazolam in Alberta. The drug has previously been linked to nine fatal overdoses in New Brunswick in 2022.

The pills seized in Alberta were oval-shaped and stamped with “20” and “SS,” though Mounties say it can come in other forms.

Naloxone treatment, given in many cases of opioid toxicity, is not effective in reversing the effects of Bromazalam, Mounties said, and therefore, any fentanyl mixed with the benzodiazepine “would see a reduced effectiveness of naloxone, requiring the use of additional doses and may still result in a fatality.”

Photo of benzodiazepine-laced fentanyl seized earlier this year by Grande Prairie RCMP after a fatal overdose. edm

From January to November of last year, there were 1,706 opioid-related deaths in Alberta, and 57 linked to benzodiazepine, up from 1,375 and 43, respectively, in 2022.

Mounties say officers responded to about 1,100 opioid-related calls for service, last year with a third of those proving fatal. RCMP officers also used naloxone 67 times while in the field, a jump of nearly a third over the previous year.

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CFIA continues surveillance for HPAI in cattle, while sticking with original name for disease – RealAgriculture

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The Canada Food Inspection Agency will continue to refer to highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle as HPAI in cattle, and not refer to it as bovine influenza A virus (BIAV), as suggested by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners earlier this month.

Dr. Martin Appelt, senior director for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in the interview below, says at this time Canada will stick with “HPAI in cattle” when referencing the disease that’s been confirmed in dairy cattle in multiple states in the U.S.

The CFIA’s naming policy is consistent with the agency’s U.S. counterparts’, as the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has also said it will continue referring to it as HPAI or H5N1.

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Appelt explains how the CFIA is learning from the U.S. experience to-date, and how it is working with veterinarians across Canada to stay vigilant for signs of the disease in dairy and beef cattle.

As of April 19, there has not been a confirmed case of HPAI in cattle in Canada. Appelt says it’s too soon to say if an eventual positive case will significantly restrict animal movement, as is the case with positive poultry cases.

This is a major concern for the cattle industry, as beef cattle especially move north and south across the U.S. border by the thousands. Appelt says that CFIA will address an infection in each species differently in conjunction with how the disease is spread and the threat to neighbouring farms or livestock.

Currently, provincial dairy organizations have advised producers to postpone any non-essential tours of dairy barns, as a precaution, in addition to other biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of cattle contracting HPAI.

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Toronto reports 2 more measles cases. Use our tool to check the spread in Canada – Toronto Star

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Canada has seen a concerning rise in measles cases in the first months of 2024.

By the third week of March, the country had already recorded more than three times the number of cases as all of last year. Canada had just 12 cases of measles in 2023, up from three in 2022.

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