B.C.’s chief veterinarian has told clinics that treat wild birds they must establish protocols to prevent the spread of bird fluwarning of the risk of human exposure to the disease.
Dr. Theresa Burns said in a letter to veterinarians last week that reports of sick and dead wild birds across the province have increased recently and that clinics handling wild birds must have safety procedures in place and monitor ensure staff are trained and equipped with adequate protection.
Days after Burns published his letter, British Columbia health authorities announced the first case of human infection with bird flu acquired in Canada, with the teenage patient in critical condition in hospital.
Burns said in an interview that his office has been working since 2022 to educate veterinarians about the H5N1 avian flu virus, and the letter was another reminder in the midst of fall migration.
When birds get this flu, they show symptoms such as an inability to fly, weakness and neurological signs, she said.
“And then people find these birds, and out of the kindness of their hearts, they pick them up to try to help them, and they often bring them to veterinary clinics for care,” she said.
“And we just want to make sure that our veterinarians and their staff who might be receiving calls or asking people to bring in these wild birds are aware of avian flu and what they need to do to protect themselves and their staff .”
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Burns said sick birds should be isolated from people and animals and anyone interacting with them should wear protective gear including gowns, gloves and eye protection.
Rob Hope, general manager of the OWL Rehabilitation Center in Delta, B.C., says the center, which cares for raptors including eagles, hawks, falcons and owls, has taken extra precautions to prevent the spread of bird flu for years.
Hope said staff have become proficient at recognizing illness and can often diagnose them when they see photos or videos of a bird.
If the H5N1 virus is suspected, he said the animal is transported to the center in a kennel and placed in quarantine where it is only cared for by selected staff wearing full protective equipment including gowns, masks, slippers and face shields.
He said the center had seen an increase in cases in recent weeks compared to last month and many animals were dying within 24 hours.
“Most of the time they die anyway, but at least people don’t play with them or poke them, you know? This type of scenario,” he said
Burns said people should not touch sick or dead birds they find in the wild.
Before this week’s announcement of the case in British Columbia, there had already been one infection in Canada in 2014 in Alberta. That person died and health officials determined they likely contracted the virus while traveling to China.
British Columbia officials said they do not yet know how the teen contracted the virus.
“As I mentioned, this is a rare event and we want to make sure it doesn’t spread. That’s one of the things we focused on this weekend, and we haven’t identified any other cases,” Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, said Tuesday.
Burns said tests of wetland sediments in areas where wild birds congregate have shown high levels of the H5N1 variant of the virus, but so far the number of wild birds reported infected is similar to that of 2022 and 2023.
British Columbia’s commercial poultry sector has been hit hard by avian flu, with 28 flocks infected this fall as migratory birds fly south for the winter. More than 6.5 million birds have been killed in the province due to avian flu since spring 2022.
Burns said the industry saw an increase in cases early this season and it was unclear whether that trend would continue or stabilize over the next few weeks.
Migratory wild birds, particularly waterfowl species such as ducks and geese, are believed to be the main vectors of the disease, but government data shows other infected species include hawks, ravens and herons.