BILLINGS, Mont. – A strain of avian influenza was found Sept. 27 in a small poultry farm near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture prohibited all poultry and poultry product imports from Saskatchewan, including wild birds caught by hunters.
A spokesman for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Helena said that 100 chickens at a chicken farm near Regina had been affected with the H7N3 strain. He described the strain as highly pathogenic, but different from the HPN1strain that killed 150 people around the world.
He added that the facility was quarantined and 50,000 chickens were killed, and inspections were being conducted throughout the region.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is managing the outbreak and said that Avian influenza viruses do not pose risks to food safety if poultry products are cooked and handled properly.
The CFIA suspects that the source of the strain may have been wild waterfowl. The USDA has banned all live bird imports, including poultry along with unprocessed avian products.
