Avian flu detected at poultry farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack

FRASER VALLEY — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed seven commercial poultry farms in the Fraser Valley tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza between November 16 and November 19, 2022.

Six operations in Abbotsford and one in Chilliwack have been placed under quarantine by the CFIA. Meantime provincial officials have notified producers within a 10-kilometer radius of each infected operation of the positive test results.

There have now been 36 confirmed cases of avian influenza in B.C. poultry in 2022. 14 cases were found on commercial farms, 21 in small flocks and one in a captive wild bird. The cases in B.C. are seen as an extension of an ongoing North American outbreak.

According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu, occurs naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide. It can be easily spread to domestic poultry as well as pet and wild birds. Avian influenza is rarely spread to humans, however some instances have been documented.