PEI, Canada: 2025 H5N1 in wild birds

Shiloh · Feb 28, 2025

Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-canada-geese-avian-flu-sick-bird-1.7470615

Canada geese found dead in eastern P.E.I. had avian flu, preliminary results show
Results on Vernon Bridge geese will need to be confirmed by CFIA lab in Winnipeg
Gwyneth Egan · CBC News · Posted: Feb 27, 2025 6:56 PM EST | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

A large number of dying and dead Canada geese in Vernon Bridge, P.E.I., were likely sick with avian flu, says a veterinarian with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.

A provincial conservation officer collected samples from the bodies of 17 dead geese found on the ice of Vernon River in eastern P.E.I. and delivered them to the Atlantic Veterinary College's virology lab for testing.

"Preliminary results show that they are positive for avian influenza," said Megan Jones, regional director of the Atlantic node of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative on P.E.I.

Those results will need to be confirmed at the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg. That lab has expertise in avian influenza, which is also known as bird flu and formally as H5N1.
Woman wearing glasses and a green shirt stands near a window...

Pathfinder · Mar 6, 2025

Avian flu suspected in dead geese found in Vernon Bridge, P.E.I.

Author of the article:Yutaro Sasaki • Local Journalism Initiative

Published Mar 05, 2025
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In a phone interview with The Guardian on March 3, Dr. Megan Jones, who is the Atlantic regional director for the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative and an associate professor at Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), explained the disease.

On Feb 23, the AVC received seven dead Canada geese collected in areas near Vernon Bridge, Jones said.

A day later, the lab took samples from the dead geese for polymerase chain reaction testing.

On Feb 25, the AVC received the preliminary results after testing 10 additional carcasses, Jones said.

“It showed that they were positive for avian influenza, and it’s the H5 avian influenza,” she said.

Once many of the Canada geese carcasses tested positive, they were sent for confirmatory testing at the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease laboratory in Winnipeg.

There was no confirmation of the results from the Canada Food Inspection Agency as of March 3.

“It takes days to weeks to get the results from there, it really depends,” Jones said.
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https://www.saltwire.com/prince-edward-island/possible-presence-avian-flu-h5n1-virus-in-pei

Shiloh · Mar 12, 2025

Source: https://www.saltwire.com/prince-edward-island/cfia-confirms-presence-of-avian-flu-on-p-e-i

CFIA confirms presence of avian flu on P.E.I.
Author of the article: Yutaro Sasaki • Local Journalism Initiative
Published Mar 12, 2025 • Last updated 48 minutes ago • 4 minute read

The H5N1 virus has been confirmed in Canada geese whose carcasses were collected from Vernon Bridge, P.E.I.

The confirmatory testing of the geese shows the presence of the H5N1 virus in six out of seven samples received at the National Centre For Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD) laboratory in Winnipeg, Man.

In a statement to The Guardian on March 12, Dr. Yohannes Berhane, head of the avian diseases unit and World Organization for Animal Health reference laboratory for avian influenza at NCFAD, said the virus has spread to different species elsewhere...