Canada - CFIA: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in livestock (Date modified: 2024-05-01)

[Pathfinder]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in livestock

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has not detected highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle or other livestock in Canada. We are monitoring the situation closely.

The risk of HPAI transmission to humans remains low.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has informed the CFIA of the detection of HPAI in unpasteurized milk from sick dairy cattle in some US states.

Affected cows are showing clinical signs that include a decrease in milk production and thicker consistency milk.

The animals appear to recover after a period of illness. It is suspected that wild birds may have introduced the virus.

More information on the situation in the US is available from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS):

• USDA APHIS: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detections in livestock

Information for consumers


Cow's milk and milk products that have been pasteurized remain safe to consume.

Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria and viruses (including influenza) while retaining the nutritional properties of milk. Pasteurization ensures the milk we drink is safe. Information for producers


You can help protect your animals and yourself and prevent the spread of disease by:

• monitoring cattle for clinical signs, including a sudden decrease in milk production
• contacting your veterinarian for any suspected cases
• practicing good biosecurity measures, such as:
  • isolating sick animals and new animals that join your farm
  • minimizing contact with wild birds on your farm
  • regularly inspecting your farm and cleaning up any loose feed
  • reporting dead birds to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative
  • changing boots when entering barns
  • regularly sanitizing livestock enclosures, waterers, and feeders, and
  • limiting visitors to your farm
• contacting your provincial or national associations for any enhanced biosecurity protocols that may be available

More information on biosecurity is available on the National Biosecurity Standards: Animal biosecurity page. For example, you'll find:

• animal-specific standards
• protocols
• practices and
• a self-assessment checklist

Information for veterinarians


Veterinarians are encouraged to contact their local CFIA animal health office if there is a high degree of suspicion of HPAI.

What to look for:

• a sudden decrease in milk (especially in older cows)
• thicker consistency milk, similar to colostrum
• little to no signs of mastitis (a negative or trace positive result from the California Mastitis Test [CMT])
• decrease in feed consumption
• drop in rumen motility
• dry manure or constipation (diarrhea has been observed occasionally)
• fever (sometimes)
• a history of dead wild birds on the property

Date modified: 2024-03-31

https://inspection.canada.ca/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/diseases/reportable/avian-influenza/latest-bird-flu-situation/hpai-in-livestock/eng/1711895796746/1711895797730

[Pathfinder]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in livestock


The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has detected highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in unpasteurized milk from sick dairy cattle in some areas of the United States.

HPAI has not been detected in dairy cattle or other livestock in Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is monitoring the situation closely. We will update this page as soon as new information becomes available.

HPAI is not a food safety concern and the risk of transmission to humans remains low. What the U.S. Department of Agriculture found


Affected cows are showing clinical signs that include a decrease in milk production or feed consumption and thicker consistency milk.

The animals appear to recover after a period of illness. It is suspected that wild birds may have introduced the virus.

Learn more about the HPAI detections in livestock from the USDA Animal Health Inspection Service.

What consumers need to know


Pasteurized cow's milk and milk products remain safe to consume.

Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria and viruses (including influenza) while retaining the nutritional properties of milk. Pasteurization ensures the milk we drink is safe.

There is also no evidence to suggest that eating thoroughly cooked beef could transmit avian influenza to humans. All evidence to date indicates that thorough cooking will kill the virus.

Safe food handling practices, such as handwashing and keeping meat products separate from other food products to avoid cross contamination should be followed. What producers can do


Prevent the spread of disease by:

• monitoring cattle for clinical signs, including a sudden decrease in milk production
• contacting your veterinarian for any suspected cases
• practising good biosecurity measures, such as:
  • isolating sick animals and new animals that join your farm
  • minimizing contact with wild birds on your farm
  • regularly inspecting your farm and cleaning up any loose feed
  • reporting dead wildlife to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative
  • changing boots when entering barns
  • regularly sanitizing livestock enclosures, waterers and feeders
  • limiting visitors to your farm
• contacting your provincial or national associations for any enhanced biosecurity protocols that may be available

Read more information about animal biosecurity, that includes:

• animal-specific standards
• protocols
• practices
• a self-assessment checklist

What veterinarians can look for


Veterinarians are encouraged to contact their local CFIA animal health office if they suspect HPAI infection and consult the Guidance for private veterinarians.

What to look for:

• a sudden decrease in milk (especially in older cows)
• thicker consistency milk, similar to colostrum
• little to no signs of mastitis (a negative or trace positive result from the California Mastitis Test)
• decrease in feed consumption
• drop in rumen motility
• dry manure or constipation (diarrhea has been observed occasionally)
• fever (sometimes)
• a history of dead wild birds on the property

How we respond to detections in cattle versus poultry


Our response to detections of HPAI in cattle is different from detections in domestic birds. Although the virus is the same, cattle respond differently to the virus.

HPAI spreads rapidly between birds and leads to high mortality rates. This represents significant health risks in birds, resulting in negative impacts to trade of live poultry and poultry products. Cattle show milder signs, with only a small proportion of the herd being affected. Cattle typically recover within one to three weeks.

No cows have died from this virus so far and there are no impacts to trade of live cattle or their products. Our role in HPAI in cattle is to provide scientific guidance and diagnostic assistance and to report internationally.

We are working with the veterinary community, industry, public health authorities and the provinces and territories to coordinate a national response. We will continue to reassess the situation as new information becomes available.

Trade implications


The World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) does not recommend restrictions on the movement of healthy cattle and their products at this time. Refer to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza in Cattle.

Wild birds remain the main source of HPAI. Practising good biosecurity is key to helping prevent disease.

For the importation of live cattle, the CFIA has current import controls in place, including import permits, export certification and veterinary inspection of imported cattle.

We will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and will consider any additional measures, as necessary.

Related links

• World Organisation for Animal Health Statement - HPAI in cattle
• Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System - Dairy
• Animal Health Canada Update - US Detections of H5N1 in Dairy Cattle
• Public Healthy Agency of Canada - Avian influenza A(H5N1): Symptoms and treatment
• Guidance on human health issues related to avian influenza in Canada
• Highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle: Guidance for private veterinarians

Date modified: 2024-04-17

https://inspection.canada.ca/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/diseases/reportable/avian-influenza/latest-bird-flu-situation/hpai-in-livestock/eng/1711895796746/1711895797730

[Pathfinder]

Hat tip to Michael Coston:

[Commonground]

Rapid risk assessment update: Avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b in livestock, public health implications for Canada
Assessment completed: April 19, 2024 (with data as of April 11, 2024)

Download in PDF format
(471 KB, 12 pages) Organization: Public Health Agency of Canada

Date published: 2024-04-26


Reason for the assessment
Finding of avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b in cattle and goats in the United States (US).


Risk questions
1. Risk Question: What is the likelihood and impact of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b due to exposure to livestock (e.g., cattle, goats, swine)^{Footnote a} in Canada in the next 3 months?

2. Additional Question on Future Risk: How does the current situation affect potential future public health risk in Canada? Risk statement

1. For the general population in Canada, the likelihood of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b acquired from livestock (e.g., cattle, goats, swine) in the next 3 months is very low due to a very low likelihood and level of exposure to infectious virus. Given the small number of human cases reported to date globally despite frequent high-dose exposures in certain populations, the virus appears to have a limited capacity to infect humans. Therefore, the likelihood is at most low for people with higher level of exposure to infectious livestock. There is high uncertainty in these estimates due to limited surveillance and testing of mammalian species, and limited information on the proportion of livestock infected, nature of infection and transmission dynamics in these species, and the potential for transmission of this clade from infected mammals to humans.

There has been no change in the estimated magnitude of impact from the previous rapid risk assessment on infected individuals or the Canadian population. There is no evidence that the virus has acquired the capacity for sustained transmission among humans.

2. It is unknown how the current situation will affect the potential future public health risk in Canada. However, continued transmission of avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses in wild and domestic bird populations, and repeated spill-over into diverse wild and domestic mammalian species, increase the likelihood of viral reassortment and/or adaptation that could enable sustained transmission in mammalian species, including humans, as stated in the previous rapid risk assessment and the pandemic risk scenario analysis. Spillover into livestock increases opportunity for genetic change that could result in a virus with greater fitness in mammalian hosts, especially if the infections are mild or asymptomatic in cattle and go unnoticed with minimal infection precautions.

While transmission of this clade is highly suspected to be occurring globally between mammals with sufficient contact, the degree of transmission is currently unclear. Contact between pigs and any animals that are infected, including livestock, may lead to an increased likelihood of significant genetic changes in the virus, since pigs are known to be a mixing vessel for influenza A viruses.^{Reference 1}

It is very hard to predict how this virus will evolve, but this uncertainty emphasizes the importance of surveillance and preparedness activities in both human and animal sectors.


On this page

• Reason for assessment
• Risk questions
• Risk statement
• Proposed actions for public health authorities
• Technical annex
  • Event background
  • Definitions
  • Detailed risk assessment results for question 1
• Appendix A: Acknowledgements
• Footnotes
• References

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-heal...livestock.html

[Pathfinder]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in livestock


The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has detected highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in unpasteurized milk from sick dairy cattle in some areas of the United States.

HPAI has not been detected in dairy cattle or other livestock in Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is monitoring the situation closely. We will update this page as soon as new information becomes available.

HPAI is not a food safety concern and the risk of transmission to humans remains low.


What the U.S. Department of Agriculture found


Affected cows are showing clinical signs that include a decrease in milk production or feed consumption and thicker consistency milk.

The animals appear to recover after a period of illness. It is suspected that wild birds may have introduced the virus.

Learn more about the HPAI detections in livestock from the USDA Animal Health Inspection Service.


What consumers need to know


Pasteurized cow's milk and milk products remain safe to consume.

Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria and viruses (including influenza) while retaining the nutritional properties of milk. Pasteurization ensures the milk we drink is safe.

There is also no evidence to suggest that eating thoroughly cooked beef could transmit avian influenza to humans. All evidence to date indicates that thorough cooking will kill the virus.

Safe food handling practices, such as handwashing and keeping meat products separate from other food products to avoid cross contamination should be followed. What producers can do


Prevent the spread of disease by:

• monitoring cattle for clinical signs, including a sudden decrease in milk production
• contacting your veterinarian for any suspected cases
• practising good biosecurity measures, such as:
  • isolating sick animals and new animals that join your farm
  • minimizing contact with wild birds on your farm
  • regularly inspecting your farm and cleaning up any loose feed
  • reporting dead wildlife to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative
  • changing boots when entering barns
  • regularly sanitizing livestock enclosures, waterers and feeders
  • limiting visitors to your farm
• contacting your provincial or national associations for any enhanced biosecurity protocols that may be available

Read more information about animal biosecurity, that includes:

• animal-specific standards
• protocols
• practices
• a self-assessment checklist

What veterinarians can look for


Veterinarians are encouraged to contact their local CFIA animal health office if they suspect HPAI infection and consult the Guidance for private veterinarians.

What to look for:

• a sudden decrease in milk (especially in older cows)
• thicker consistency milk, similar to colostrum
• little to no signs of mastitis (a negative or trace positive result from the California Mastitis Test)
• decrease in feed consumption
• drop in rumen motility
• dry manure or constipation (diarrhea has been observed occasionally)
• fever (sometimes)
• a history of dead wild birds on the property

How we respond to detections in cattle versus poultry


Our response to detections of HPAI in cattle is different from detections in domestic birds. Although the virus is the same, cattle respond differently to the virus.

HPAI spreads rapidly between birds and leads to high mortality rates. This represents significant health risks in birds, resulting in negative impacts to trade of live poultry and poultry products. Cattle show milder signs, with only a small proportion of the herd being affected. Cattle typically recover within one to three weeks.

No cows have died from this virus so far and there are no impacts to trade of live cattle or their products. Our role in HPAI in cattle is to provide scientific guidance and diagnostic assistance and to report internationally.

We are working with the veterinary community, industry, public health authorities and the provinces and territories to coordinate a national response. We will continue to reassess the situation as new information becomes available.


Trade implications


The World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) does not recommend restrictions on the movement of healthy cattle and their products at this time. Refer to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza in Cattle.

Wild birds remain the main source of HPAI. Practising good biosecurity is key to helping prevent disease.

For the importation of live cattle, the CFIA has current import controls in place, including import permits, export certification and veterinary inspection of imported cattle.

As of April 29, 2024, Canada requires testing for HPAI with negative result on imported lactating dairy cattle from the U.S. For more information, see Notice to industry: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or H5N1) in dairy cattle in the United States of America.

We will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and will consider any additional measures, as necessary.


Related links

• World Organisation for Animal Health Statement - HPAI in cattle
• Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System - Dairy
• Animal Health Canada Update - US Detections of H5N1 in Dairy Cattle
• Public Healthy Agency of Canada - Avian influenza A(H5N1): Symptoms and treatment
• Guidance on human health issues related to avian influenza in Canada
• Highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle: Guidance for private veterinarians

Date modified: 2024-05-01

https://inspection.canada.ca/animal-.../1711895797730

[longshots]

You can't detect it if you don't test for it!!! - "Don't test, don't tell." --- anothor hat tip to Michael Coston. ... it is easier not to find something if you don't look for it...