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Current disease alerts and events

Last updated on October 22, 2024

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Active Animal Health Act orders 

General Order AIV2024-01 (PDF, 246 KB): Avian influenza

General Order AIV2024-02 (PDF, 281 KB): Avian influenza

General Order CWD2024-002 (PDF, 1.8 MB): Chronic wasting disease

General Order WD2024-01 (PDF, 388 KB): Whirling disease

Highly pathogenic avian influenza

Avian influenza (AI), commonly known as "bird flu", is a contagious viral infection that can affect several species of food producing birds as well as pet birds and wild birds. British Columbia has been experiencing repeated outbreaks of highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in poultry (a form of the virus that causes serious illness and death) since the virus was first introduced into the province in April 2022. This same virus is circulating throughout North America and causing outbreaks in other provinces and states.

More information on the ministry response to AI can be found here Avian influenza (AI) -  Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)

AI is a federally regulated disease and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) leads the response. See the CFIA website for more information on the status of ongoing AI outbreaks and response by province. 

General orders

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Commercial chicken and turkey to remain indoors: General order in place

Effective September 17, 2024, the Chief Veterinarian has issued General Order AIV 2024-01 (PDF, 246 KB).

All persons responsible for chickens and turkeys in operations regulated by one of the following:

  1. BC Broiler Hatching Egg Commission
  2. BC Chicken Marketing Board
  3. BC Egg Marketing Board
  4. BC Turkey Marketing Board (each a “Board or Commission”)

and who hold quota from their relevant Marketing Board or Commission are subject to this order.

All live Poultry kept by the persons subject to this order must be maintained indoors unless this order is otherwise modified by the further order of an inspector.

For certainty, the above required action does not limit the sales, transportation or slaughter of Poultry, or the disposal of Poultry carcasses.

 

Commingling with conditions is allowed for birds maintained in areas other than the Lower Mainland; commingling is not permitted in the Lower Mainland 

Effective October 23, 2024, the Chief Veterinarian has issued General Order AIV 2024-02 (PDF, 281 KB), which prohibits commingling of poultry in the Lower Mainland. 

The following classes of persons are subject to this order:

  1. All persons responsible for birds, where the birds are located in the Lower Mainland
  2. All persons responsible for birds, where the birds are located outside of the Lower Mainland; and
  3. All persons attending a Commingling Event

This Order applies to persons responsible for the following types of birds:

  • Chickens
  • Turkeys
  • Doves
  • Ducks
  • Geese
  • Guinea fowl
  • Peafowl
  • Pheasants
  • Pigeons
  • Quail
  • Ratites

The following are Commingling Events:

  • Poultry swaps
  • Auctions
  • Flea markets
  • Bird shows
  • Fairs
  • Public displays
  • Competitions where birds from multiple sources would be present

Persons responsible for birds in the Lower Mainland must not take birds to Commingling Events.

Persons responsible for birds outside of the Lower Mainland must not take birds to Commingling Events in the Lower Mainland.

Persons responsible for birds outside of the Lower Mainland may take birds to Commingling Events that take place outside of the Lower Mainland under the following conditions:

  1. For 10 days preceding the Commingling Event:
    • The birds are maintained in a closed flock
    • Clean, dedicated boots, gloves and over-clothing must be donned and doffed at the entrance to the closed flock housing area by all persons who enter and exit the closed area
    • Equipment movement into the closed flock housing area must be minimized, and any required equipment must be clean and dry before it is moved into the closed flock housing area
    • Wild birds are excluded from the flock area; and
    • The closed flock shows no signs of illness
  2. At the Commingling Event:
    • All persons responsible for birds outside of the Lower Mainland must not permit any person, other than persons who live or work on the premises of origin of the birds, to handle and provide care to the birds, with the exception of purchasers, who may handle any purchased birds but only in order to remove them from the Commingling Event
    • All persons responsible for birds outside of the Lower Mainland must maintain a distance of 2 metres between birds from different premises, and between birds and the public; and
    • All persons attending a Commingling Event must use boot wash and hand sanitizer before entering and before exiting the Commingling Event

 

B.C. wildlife HPAI dashboard 

Migratory wild birds, particularly waterfowl species, are the main source of HPAI for poultry. The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food conducts surveillance for HPAI in wild birds to assess the risk of infection in domestic poultry. Although relatively infrequent, AI can also cross the species barrier and infect mammals. The current surveillance program detects HPAI viruses by collecting and testing wild birds and mammals that are found dead on the landscape as well as environmental samples. The results of this program are summarized in the dashboard below.

View B.C. Wildlife HPAI dashboard

Note: HPAI H5 detections include both samples that have been confirmed as HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b through sequencing or are presumed to be HPAI H5 the basis of a positive H5 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal infection that affects species in the deer family (cervids) such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose and caribou. CWD is not a naturally occurring disease and can lead to declines in cervid populations. There is no vaccine or treatment and the disease is always fatal.

BC’s first detection of CWD was confirmed in the Kootenay region in January 2024. In accordance with the Surveillance and Response Plan for CWD in B.C., the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship is the lead agency on CWD management. As part of the response, B.C.’s Chief Veterinarian has put orders in place to reduce risk of dissemination of infected materials by human activity, in order to reduce risk of disease spread to non-infected cervid populations.

General orders

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Cervids found dead in areas of southeast BC must be submitted for CWD testing and require special disposal.

Effective September 20th, 2024, the Chief Veterinarian issued General Order CWD2024-002 (PDF, 1.8 MB), which replaces General Order CWD2024-001 (PDF, 255 KB).

All persons who collect found dead cervids, or parts of found dead cervids (including deer, elk, moose, and caribou) (“Collected Cervids”), in Wildlife Management Units 4-1 to 4-8 and 4-20 to 4-25 inclusive (“the Area”) must take the following actions, and must comply with the following prohibitions:

  • Samples from any Collected Cervid originating within the Area must be submitted to a government testing site or drop-off location for testing in accordance with Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance and Testing - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)
  • The remaining, untested portions of any Collected Cervid originating from within the Area must not be removed from the Area or used for any purpose, and may only be either:
    • transported to a Designated Disposal Site (defined below) for disposal, or
    • transported to a storage location and held in a secure, leak-proof container, freezer or cooler inside the Area 

until testing is complete and the result is confirmed negative for the presence of CWD

  • Portions of any Collected Cervid which tests positive for CWD must be held in a secure, leak-proof storage container until further instructions are received from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

Each of the following is a “Designated Disposal Site”:

  • Cranbrook Regional District Landfill
  • Creston Landfill
  • Ootischenia (Castlegar) Landfill
  • Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure secure disposal sites or
  • The government collection site at 205 Industrial Road G, Cranbrook, B.C.

Whirling disease 

Whirling disease is an infectious disease of finfish such as trout and salmon. It is caused by a parasite called Myxobolus cerebralis.

There is no treatment for whirling disease. Once introduced, the elimination of the parasite in wild finfish populations is not usually possible.

Whirling disease is not a health risk for humans or pets. The parasite that causes whirling disease does not affect humans or animals other than finfish. There is no risk associated with swimming or eating fish caught from infected waters.

Whirling disease is a reportable disease in respect of finfish under Section 5(h) of the Reportable and Notifiable Disease Regulation under British Columbia’s Animal Health Act. Whirling disease is a federally regulated disease, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the lead agency. Provincially, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship is the lead agency.

More information

General orders

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Whirling disease (Pull the plug)

Effective May 17, 2024, the Chief Veterinarian issued General Order WD2024-01 (PDF, 388 KB).

All persons within British Columbia are subject to this Order.

A person must not transport a boat or other watercraft on a highway if the watercraft has a drainage hole in the lower hull or bilge that is blocked with a plug.

In this Order, “highway” has the same meaning as in the Transportation Act, SBC 2004, c 24.

 Animal health and COVID-19