Small flock in Comox Valley is B.C.’s 7th to test positive for avian influenza
VICTORIA — A small poultry flock in British Columbia’s Comox Valley has tested positive for the avian flu, the first case on Vancouver Island.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says in a release that the H5N1 virus has now been found in seven flocks across the province.
It says the infected location has been placed under quarantine and the Ministry of Agriculture has notified producers within a 12-kilometre radius about the positive test result.
The agency says it presumes the flu spreads through contact with infected migrating wild birds and is reminding owners to reduce human access to the flock and increase cleaning of clothing and footwear when entering areas where they are housed.