Image: A poultry farm in the Fraser Valley. / File / Dreamstime

By Canadian Press / Fraser Valley Today Staff

Outbreaks

Fraser Valley poultry farms continuing to deal with Avian flu outbreaks

Jan 12, 2025 | 10:00 AM

VANCOUVER — Nearly 60 poultry facilities in British Columbia have reported outbreaks of avian flu, marking a slight decrease from 64 cases reported earlier last week.

Despite the improvement, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warns that new cases continue to be detected every few days. The most recent outbreaks were identified in two commercial poultry operations in Abbotsford.

Since a surge in infections began in the spring of 2022, approximately 8.6 million birds have been culled across the province to contain the highly contagious illness.

Avian flu, also known as H5N1, poses a low risk to humans but can spread rapidly among birds, leading to devastating losses for the agricultural sector.

While posing a low risk to humans, one teenager in the Fraser Valley contracted the flu last fall. BC Children’s Hospital says the 13-year-old girl was discharged Tuesday (Jan. 7) after weeks in hospital. The girl was taken to a pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory failure and pneumonia on November 8.

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