Two more farms in B.C.’s Fraser Valley have tested positive for avian influenza, as has a second barn on a previously infected property.
That brings the number of structures quarantined in the outbreak up to eight, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Wednesday.
Dr. Harpreet Kochar, Canada’s chief veterinary officer, said the spread is “not unexpected” due to how contagious the virus is.
“There is a possibility that this could show up in other farms, and this is something which is attributed to the highly virulent and highly pathogenic nature of avian influenza,” Kochar said.
Roughly 155,000 birds either have been or will be euthanized, he added.
Officials said the entire bird populations at four farms have been killed, and a fifth farm is already in the midst of depopulation.
The CFIA also confirmed Singapore has imposed trade restrictions on Canadian poultry, joining several Asian countries as well as the U.S., Mexico and South Africa.
The severity of restrictions varies from country to country.
The CFIA said it can't call the Fraser Valley outbreak contained, despite designating half of B.C. an avian flu control zone.
The zone spreads from the Pacific Ocean across to the Alberta border, and from Highway 16 down to the U.S. border, and the area is further broken up into three sub-zones by risk level: infected, restricted and security.
The infected zone stretches three kilometres around every property that’s tested positive for avian flu.
For the latest updates on the outbreak, visit the CFIA website.
