You may have heard that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in various US States and Canadian provinces in the past few months. The latest report confirms a first case in Saskatchewan but no suspected cases in Manitoba yet (see http://www.cwhc-rcsf.ca/avian_influenza_testing_results.php).

The Avian Influenza Virus is a contagious viral infection that can affect domestic and wild birds. Many strains occur naturally in wild birds and circulate in migratory populations. HPAI can cause mass disease and mortality in infected poultry but there have been no human cases of avian influenza from exposure to wild birds in North America.

The federal government are providing lots of good information on how to limit the spread of this disease which you can find at – https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/migratory-game-bird-hunting/avian-influenza-wild-birds.html. The main take home is do not handle wild birds, take precautions if you keep birds at home or work and report any larger groups of dead or sick birds using the contact information on that page. The federal government are continue to update their information and will change their advice based on the latest data. 

-Amanda