Avian flu suspected in birds found in Medicine Hat
By JAMES TUBB on December 17, 2022.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials believe cases of the avian flu have reached Medicine Hat. Hatters began spotting and reporting dead and sick-looking Canada geese and mallard ducks along and near the South Saskatchewan River last week. Margo Pybus, a provincial wildlife disease specialist, says they were alerted on Dec. 9. and have found hundreds of sick or dead birds. She says they also have similar accounts in Lethbridge where the South Saskatchewan River, also known as the Old Man river, flows through. “We have some diagnostic samples from both Lethbridge and from Medicine Hat in for testing, but we do not yet have test results,” Pybus said. “We highly suspect that it will come back as avian influenza but we can’t definitively say that until we get the lab results.” She says they were hoping to have the results Friday but are looking toward early next week. The infected or dead birds are ones that are overwintering due to the mild winter and are stressed due to the lack of open water. There are no health risks to humans with the avian flu and Pybus says the significant mortality event will not affect the overall Canadian geese population next spring. She says a concern would be if a predatory bird, such as a bald eagle, were to feed on the infected birds they could become sick. “Most of the bald eagles have also left but there will still be a few hanging around that, as long as there’s something for them to eat, they’ll stay here and if they eat those infected geese, then they could potentially die also,” Pybus said. “But again, it’s not going to wipe out the bald eagle population either.” Anyone who finds a bird they suspect has avian flu should report it to Fish and Wildlife officials, or if it’s on private property, they can remove the birds themselves while wearing gloves and using double bags to avoid contact with the carcass. Pybus does caution anyone who is involved in the commercial poultry business or interacts with birds to avoid any potential hiking or trail areas that could contain the flu in the matter of infected geese and duck poop. “The (poultry) producers are pretty aware of their biosafety biosecurity measures but that would be the only thing is that people should avoid going to poultry farms if they’ve been in an area, even if they’re just hiking or walking their dog, in an area where there might have been some dead geese that might have died from this virus,” Pybus said. 11-10
