We had a one hour conference call today with various govt. and poultry organizations regarding the flu incident in Ontario. I took a few notes and thought I 'd post a summary here FYI. Thanks go to those who organized the call. The situation in Ontario is different (so far) than the one in BC.
I took some notes (my stupid phone kept disconnecting $#@% Bell!!!) so I did miss some things.
The quality of the call was poor and I might have missed something or assumed some things. Biosecurity means nothing in, nothing out.
I got the message loud and clear that it's in everybody's best interest to limit exposure to other birds/chickens even outside of the 10 km radius "control" zone. This zone is in place to set boundaries. NO other farms/ sick birds have been identified including wild birds in Ontario. 29 premises are under quarantine. Migratory wild birds are suspected in the transmission, don't know for sure, but since migration is ongoing, so we are not out of the woods. Migratory birds on the west coast definitely have the virus so it's in the wild population. We are 10 days into the cleanup process. This takes 21 days plus there will be 90 days disease surveillance. If NO other cases show up things will begin to relax but we should practice biosecurity all summer. It is legal to buy/sell trade outside of this zone but it is prudent to keep biosecurity and traceablility measures in effect. Better NOT to move people and poultry around due to potential consequences.
Clinical signs of the disease can vary from NONE to DEAD . Symptoms are respiratory distress, production drop, death and mimics a lot of other diseases. The virus is shed from the head and feces.
Turkeys are the ones that are very sick and dying at present.
The poultry vet said that it would be wise to avoid any transfer of poultry at this time. this includes fairs, sales, etc. The reason that these are a problem is that there is no biosecurity and no traceability. The vet recommended that if a sale/swap was to be held biosecurity and traceability measures should be in effect. The vet thought it would be prudent to avoid these types of activities for 90 days. the stakes are too high to justify these at this time.
the disease is VERY easily spread. It can spread by any mechanical means- transferred on clothing, equipment, other pets like cats and dogs, people, rodents. etc ( they didn't mention house flies but I am sure it is a possibility given their disgusting habits). Unknown if mosquitoes will transfer the disease. Careful at the feed store, some people said they were washing car tires.
All bird owners should practice biosecurity as the disease can infect any species. Flock owners with multiple species would do best to separate the different species. Don't allow access to ponds or allow contact with wild birds of any kind. Keep flocks in covered runs for the summer. Keep dogs, cats, people away from your birds.
the legal stuff and biosecurity measures are on various government websites, and OAHN.ca, the OMAFRA website, inspection.gc.ca, CFIA are resources and have links.
Two viruscides were named, VIRKON and VIROCID. They must be used on a clean surface, use according to label regarding concentration and amount of time. (PS: You can get label information at drugs.com)(PPS: virkon comes as a powder,
Err on the side of caution. Too much at stake right now, loss of money and genetics. Contact a local vet or the Guelph clinic if you see symptoms to make sure it's not flu.
I took some notes (my stupid phone kept disconnecting $#@% Bell!!!) so I did miss some things.
The quality of the call was poor and I might have missed something or assumed some things. Biosecurity means nothing in, nothing out.
I got the message loud and clear that it's in everybody's best interest to limit exposure to other birds/chickens even outside of the 10 km radius "control" zone. This zone is in place to set boundaries. NO other farms/ sick birds have been identified including wild birds in Ontario. 29 premises are under quarantine. Migratory wild birds are suspected in the transmission, don't know for sure, but since migration is ongoing, so we are not out of the woods. Migratory birds on the west coast definitely have the virus so it's in the wild population. We are 10 days into the cleanup process. This takes 21 days plus there will be 90 days disease surveillance. If NO other cases show up things will begin to relax but we should practice biosecurity all summer. It is legal to buy/sell trade outside of this zone but it is prudent to keep biosecurity and traceablility measures in effect. Better NOT to move people and poultry around due to potential consequences.
Clinical signs of the disease can vary from NONE to DEAD . Symptoms are respiratory distress, production drop, death and mimics a lot of other diseases. The virus is shed from the head and feces.
Turkeys are the ones that are very sick and dying at present.
The poultry vet said that it would be wise to avoid any transfer of poultry at this time. this includes fairs, sales, etc. The reason that these are a problem is that there is no biosecurity and no traceability. The vet recommended that if a sale/swap was to be held biosecurity and traceability measures should be in effect. The vet thought it would be prudent to avoid these types of activities for 90 days. the stakes are too high to justify these at this time.
the disease is VERY easily spread. It can spread by any mechanical means- transferred on clothing, equipment, other pets like cats and dogs, people, rodents. etc ( they didn't mention house flies but I am sure it is a possibility given their disgusting habits). Unknown if mosquitoes will transfer the disease. Careful at the feed store, some people said they were washing car tires.
All bird owners should practice biosecurity as the disease can infect any species. Flock owners with multiple species would do best to separate the different species. Don't allow access to ponds or allow contact with wild birds of any kind. Keep flocks in covered runs for the summer. Keep dogs, cats, people away from your birds.
the legal stuff and biosecurity measures are on various government websites, and OAHN.ca, the OMAFRA website, inspection.gc.ca, CFIA are resources and have links.
Two viruscides were named, VIRKON and VIROCID. They must be used on a clean surface, use according to label regarding concentration and amount of time. (PS: You can get label information at drugs.com)(PPS: virkon comes as a powder,
Err on the side of caution. Too much at stake right now, loss of money and genetics. Contact a local vet or the Guelph clinic if you see symptoms to make sure it's not flu.
