The number of active cases of highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on farms across Canada continues to climb, with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirming this week the first new case in Ontario in nearly a year.
The CFIA confirmed the presence of the H5 virus on a farm in the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc in southern Ontario on December 16.
“With the unseasonably warmer weather we have been experiencing, wild birds continue to be on the move and we are seeing increases in wild bird die offs, increasing the potential risk of disease transmission,” says the Feather Board Control Centre, in a Dec. 17 update to poultry producers in Ontario.
As of Dec. 18, there are 85 active cases across the country, with 73 in B.C. alone. Four farms in both Alberta and Quebec are currently affected, with two active cases in Saskatchewan. Ontario and Manitoba both have a single active case.
B.C. has once again been the hardest hit province during the fall migratory season. There have been at least 231 confirmed cases of H5N1 in B.C. going back to 2022. 32 per cent of those cases are currently active.
