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Avian flu at two more BC farms

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says avian flu has been detected on two more farms in southwestern B.C., as well as at a new barn on a previously infected site.

That brings the total number of farms infected with avian flu in B.C.'s Fraser Valley to seven, though officials are considering the added barn an eighth site.

Officials had previously confirmed poultry on five farms in B.C.'s Fraser Valley had been infected with a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu.

Dr. Harpreet Kochhar (koh-char), Canada's chief veterinary officer, says the additional infections are not a surprise, given how easily avian influenza can spread.

The outbreak means 155,000 birds are either dead or set to be euthanized, and it has also prompted surveillance measures affecting half of B.C.

Singapore has joined the list of countries that have imposed trade restrictions on B.C. or Canadian poultry since the outbreak began.



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