Translation
courtesy of
Man transmit influenza to turkeys in Canada
Health authorities in Ontario minimize the danger to the public after the contamination of a turkey farm by the influenza virus H1N1.NOUVELOBS.COM | 21.10.2009 | 10:30
This is the second outbreak of H1N1 detected in a turkey farm in the world. (AFP)
A turkey farm was contaminated by the influenza virus H1N1, presumably by man.
Health officials in the Canadian province of Ontario announced that contamination Tuesday, October 20 but played down any danger to the public.
This is the second outbreak of H1N1 detected in a turkey farm in the world, the first having been registered in Chile in August.
No birds or any contaminated eggs have been sold, said the health agency of the richest and most populous province in Canada has refused to specify the number of poultry and location of livestock affected.
Minimal risk
The farmer, whose products are marketed by Hybrid Turkeys, has voluntarily imposed a quarantine on his farm but the slaughter of livestock is excluded because the turkeys should heal naturally, have added health authorities in Ontario.
"I want to assure Ontarians that this situation poses minimal risk to human health," he told a televised news conference the director of the Agency of Health of Ontario, Arlene King.
The only symptoms observed on the infected turkeys were "a drop in egg production, which was not accompanied by illness or death," said Hybrid Turkeys in a statement.
Flu symptoms
"Our hypothesis is that this is probably due to human transmission," said his side the head veterinarian of the agency of Ontario, Deb Stark.Shortly before the confirmation of the virus, some employees of the firm in question had symptoms "flu" but their contamination H1N1 virus remains to be confirmed, said Hybrid Turkeys.
The company reiterated that it has recently been shown, through the Chilean case, the contamination of turkeys by the H1N1 virus caused a drop in egg production.
"Although rare, this finding is not unexpected. The virus (H1N1) was identified in the past in pig and poultry," confirmed Deb Stark.
(Nouvelobs.com with AFP)