Avian flu outbreak hits 2 British Columbia poultry farms; thousands of birds will be killed

VANCOUVER – Avian flu has been discovered at two poultry farms in southwestern British Columbia.

Provincial and Canadian officials say the farms are under quarantine and thousands of birds will be killed.

There are no reports of the disease being transmitted to humans.

Canada’s chief veterinary officer, Harpreet Kochhar, said tests were conducted Sunday after bird deaths were reported at a turkey farm in Abbotsford and a chicken farm in Chilliwack. The farms are about 5 miles apart in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver.

The Abbotsford farm housed 11,000 turkeys that were to be slaughtered for Christmas. Half died from the bird flu. The Chilliwack barn housed 7,000 chickens, and about 1,000 of those had died.

British Columbia’s chief veterinary officer, Jane Pritchard, says the remaining birds will be euthanized.