Two cases were detected on Jan. 6
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
British Columbia recorded many of Canada’s first cases of avian flu for 2023.
Two cases were detected on Jan. 6.
One was in a non-commercial operation in the District of Tofino while the other was in a non-commercial operation in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District.
Since then, six additional instances of avian flu have been found in the province.
Of those six, five (Jan. 7, 11, 14, 18 and 22) were in commercial operations in the City of Chilliwack.
The remaining case was in a commercial operation in the City of Abbotsford on Jan. 13.
As of Jan. 18, B.C. has 73 infected premises, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says. And, as of that date, 3,527,000 birds in the province have been affected by the disease.
For context, CFIA estimates avian flu has affected 7,051,000 birds in Canada.
This means B.C. accounts for 50 per cent of all birds impacted by avian flu across the country.
The province also has 30 previously infected premises.
Only one other province has a confirmed case of avian flu in 2023.
The case was found on Jan. 11 at a non-commercial, non-poultry operation in Kent County, N.B.
New Brunswick has one infected premises and one previously infected premises. Fewer than 100 birds in the province have been affected by avian flu, the CFIA’s data says.