B.C. health officials monitoring China's bird flu

B.C. health officials monitoring China's bird flu outbreak

Prepared ducks are hung to be cooked at a restaurant in Shanghai, China on Friday, April 5, 2013. China announced a sixth death from the new bird flu H7N9 strain Friday, while authorities in Shanghai halted the sale of live fowl and slaughtered all poultry at a market where the virus was detected in pigeons being sold for meat. The first cases were announced Sunday. (AP Photo)

CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Saturday, April 6, 2013 12:09PM EDT
Last Updated Saturday, April 6, 2013 12:55PM EDT 

 

Health officials in British Columbia are keeping a close eye on the bird flu outbreak in China that has killed at least six people.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall said the province is working with federal and international officials to monitor the H7N9 influenza strain that has so far infected 18 individuals in eastern China.
In a statement released Friday, Kendall said the risk of the virus spreading to Canada is low and he noted that there have not been any cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus.

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Photos

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones, left, speaks to B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall during a news conference at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday October 16, 2009. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

“The strain of H7N9 avian influenza causing illness in China has also not been identified in birds or humans in Canada,” he said.
“There are detailed protocols in place for dealing with any ill passengers arriving at the airport,” Kendall said, adding the province is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada and local health officials to address concerns.
Kendall said an “enhanced surveillance system” is in place, similar to what was implemented following the SARS and H1N1 pandemics.
“In addition, B.C. has stockpiles of antiviral drugs ready to deploy in the unlikely event that this virus should spread beyond China,” Kendall said.
On Saturday, two more cases of the new strain of bird flu were reported in eastern China.
Shanghai government officials said the latest victims are a 74-year-old peasant and a 66-year-old retiree. The city has been ordered by the agriculture ministry to halt its live poultry trade and slaughter all fowl in markets where the virus has been found.
The neighbouring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, both which have reported cases of H7N9, also suspended the sale of live poultry.


Not Yet In Canada..Really?