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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/h5n1-...vian-1.7383175
What Canada does to monitor H5N1 avian flu
Ways to try to stay safe from bird flu virus
Amina Zafar · CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2024 11:37 AM EST | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago
A Canada goose takes off from a pond.
...How was the human case in B.C. identified?
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, noted the detection was picked up by surveillance at hospitals. People with a respiratory condition are tested for COVID-19, RSV and influenza when they are hospitalized, infectious disease physicians say.
What types of surveillance are there for H5N1?
Henry said wastewater testing looks for H5 influenza in B.C.
But current wastewater testing does not distinguish between human and animal sources. The tests also don't distinguish between low pathogenic avian influenza and high pathogenic viruses that can cause a lot of illness or death, researchers have reported.
The federal government's wastewater monitoring dashboard for respiratory activity like influenza includes a map of sites across the country that submit wastewater samples.
PHAC said provincial and territorial public health agencies must report both "confirmed and probable" H5N1 cases within 24 hours.
What is Canada doing to keep out the U.S. version of H5N1?
Bird flu has affected more than 450 dairy farms in 15 states in the U.S. since March. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists 46 human cases of bird flu since April, with no cases of human-to-human transmission.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has also been testing milk for signs of H5N1 in dairy cows. Canada has had no cases of H5N1 reported in dairy cattle.
There's also no evidence of bird flu in samples of commercial milk. "Milk and milk products that have been pasteurized are safe to consume," the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
As of April 29, CFIA added to its export certificate requirements for breeding cattle from the U.S., such as certification that lactating cows have tested negative for Influenza A virus.
For poultry, since Feb. 11, 2002, the CFIA has restricted the import of bird by-products from regions with active outbreaks to try to keep out forms of avian influenza that are pathogenic to birds.
The CFIA also requires farmers to report if they suspect their poultry or livestock have avian influenza. The agency says there are currently 28 premises in B.C. with avian flu infections, along with two in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan.
What Canada does to monitor H5N1 avian flu
Ways to try to stay safe from bird flu virus
Amina Zafar · CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2024 11:37 AM EST | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago
A Canada goose takes off from a pond.
...How was the human case in B.C. identified?
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, noted the detection was picked up by surveillance at hospitals. People with a respiratory condition are tested for COVID-19, RSV and influenza when they are hospitalized, infectious disease physicians say.
What types of surveillance are there for H5N1?
Henry said wastewater testing looks for H5 influenza in B.C.
But current wastewater testing does not distinguish between human and animal sources. The tests also don't distinguish between low pathogenic avian influenza and high pathogenic viruses that can cause a lot of illness or death, researchers have reported.
The federal government's wastewater monitoring dashboard for respiratory activity like influenza includes a map of sites across the country that submit wastewater samples.
PHAC said provincial and territorial public health agencies must report both "confirmed and probable" H5N1 cases within 24 hours.
What is Canada doing to keep out the U.S. version of H5N1?
Bird flu has affected more than 450 dairy farms in 15 states in the U.S. since March. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists 46 human cases of bird flu since April, with no cases of human-to-human transmission.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has also been testing milk for signs of H5N1 in dairy cows. Canada has had no cases of H5N1 reported in dairy cattle.
There's also no evidence of bird flu in samples of commercial milk. "Milk and milk products that have been pasteurized are safe to consume," the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
As of April 29, CFIA added to its export certificate requirements for breeding cattle from the U.S., such as certification that lactating cows have tested negative for Influenza A virus.
For poultry, since Feb. 11, 2002, the CFIA has restricted the import of bird by-products from regions with active outbreaks to try to keep out forms of avian influenza that are pathogenic to birds.
The CFIA also requires farmers to report if they suspect their poultry or livestock have avian influenza. The agency says there are currently 28 premises in B.C. with avian flu infections, along with two in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan.