Avian influenza in Arctic and Northern Canada

Avian influenza is a viral infection that is highly contagious among birds and can be found in domestic poultry and wild birds, including ducks, geese, swans, gulls, terns, shorebirds, cranes, and raptors. Read more about Avian influenza in Canada.

• Transcript

  Panik: Two more Dad! I think we have enough I got twenty eggs, so I think we have enough for Mom and Grandma and Auntie Sue.

  Father: Great work Panik, and we have goose for supper tonight. Let's head back to the boat, it's almost high tide.

  Panik: Hey Dad, my teacher says birds can get sick. Is that true?

  Father: Yes, birds can get sick Panik. We have seen sick birds on the land, and we do not hunt them.

  Panik: Mrs. Barton talked to us about bird flu, and she said that sometimes people can get it. She also said that when bird flu is around many birds can get sick all at once.

  Father: That may be, I'm not sure about that. Uncle Peter said he saw a few geese down the bay that looked sick. Tell you what, let's drop in on Pauloosie at the wildlife office, and ask him.

  [Panik and her father make their way to the wildlife office.]

  Uncle Peter: Yes, scientists call it 'avian influenza'. We haven't seen it much here but its probably present in some birds, though not all birds that have it look sick.

  Panik: How do we know which ones might be sick?

  Uncle Peter: You may find dead birds on the land or birds that act sick and, obviously, we don't want to harvest those. Sick birds might look nervous, lazy, uncoordinated, they might tremble or show swelling around the head, neck, and eyes, and they can even cough or sneeze.

  Panik: Birds can sneeze?

  Uncle Peter: Yes! If you see any of these behaviors in a bird, leave the bird and let me know where you've seen it. Also, be sure to let me know right away if you find dead birds. The sooner I know this the better it is, this way I can get samples and we will know for sure if the avian influenza is the cause.

  Father: You said some birds can have the sickness but have no symptoms? That means we might harvest a sick bird and not know it.

  Uncle Peter: That could be, and even though the chance of us catching avian influenza from sick birds is low, there are a few things we can do to be extra to safe. Firstly, we don't handle or eat birds that look sick or, have died from unknown causes.

  [On screen] This applies to all wildlife!

  For all birds you do catch, wear gloves. When preparing them and handling their eggs and try to work on them outdoors. When handling birds, avoid touching your face and do not eat drink or smoke while handling birds or eggs.

  Separate clean and dirty eggs during collection. Do not collect cracked or overly dirty eggs. Rub dirt and debris off eggs with a dry cloth or paper towel. Do not wash or soak eggs in water. Washing can allow germs to enter the egg.

  Wash your hands with warm soapy water immediately, after handling birds or eggs.

  [On screen] Or use hand sanitizer or wipe with at least 60% alcohol.

  Wash and disinfect equipment and surfaces that touch the egg or birds. Change and wash clothing and footwear that may be contaminated with blood, feces, or mucous, and when you move between separate bird colonies make sure to brush soil and vegetation off your boots and clothing.

  This way we can also avoid spreading avian influenza on the land.

  Father: That makes sense. So, you're saying if we catch a sick bird even if it looks normal and healthy, we can still eat it?

  Uncle Peter: It is safe to consume fully cooked birds and eggs. There should be no pink meat and meat juices should run clear and that's how you know you've fully cooked your meat.

  [On screen] Fully cooked meat pieces or eggs will have an internal temperature of 74 ° C (165 °F). Fully cooked whole birds will have an internal temperature of 82 ° C (180 ° F).

  You are safe, as long as you follow these precautions, and don't eat partially cooked meat, frozen meat, or raw eggs. They have found that freezing does not kill the virus.

  Panik: What about chicken eggs from the store?

  Uncle Peter: That's very different, store-bought chicken and eggs are well regulated and monitored for disease, our wild birds are different and it's much harder to control the spread of the disease among wild birds. Just like people getting colds and the flu in the community it can spread and be bad at times and then it can subside.

  Father: So as long as we are aware and follow the recommendations, we are all safe?

  Uncle Peter: That's it! It's really common sense here and awareness. Here, take this pamphlet, it's got all the information we talked about. You can always drop by here, or a wildlife office in any community to get the latest information on avian influenza.

  Panik: Thanks, I'm going to show this to Mrs. Barton, so my class knows all the facts about avian influenza and safe harvesting so we can all enjoy this healthy mamaqtuq country food.

  [On screen] If you become ill with influenza symptoms after handling wild birds, their eggs or other wildlife, contact your local health centre as soon as possible and inform them that you have been in contact with wildlife. For additional information, visit canada.ca/avian-flu-arctic.