The Independent

Lambton Public Health officials say there has been a confirmed report of Avian influenza in a poultry flock.

In a news release, officials said the Ontario Ministry of Health and Agriculture as well as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is investigating the situation. As of 2 pm, Friday, CFIA has yet to release the scope of the investigation or its location.

Normally, the agency places a primary control zone around the property to limit other poultry moving through the community and picking up the highly contagious virus.

There have been 10 avian flu outbreaks in Ontario this year – the latest was in the Municipality of Middlesex Centre Feb. 28.

Over 1.1 million birds have been put down due to the virus in Ontario alone.

Avian flu mostly affects poultry and wildlife like geese, ducks and shore birds. No human cases have been reported with the outbreak detected in Lambton.

Public health officials say only the people that worked directly with the birds could be affected and its working with those people.

“The risk of avian influenza for the general public remains low, however, the risk is higher for
those who work with sick animals or in contaminated environments, such as farmers. Individuals
should take precautions when interacting with and handling birds,” said Dr. Karalyn Dueck,
Medical Officer of Health for Lambton County in a news release.

More to come…