Canada's bird flu vaccine order 'the right next step,' says Atlantic Vet College's infection control chief
CBC
Veterinarians on Prince Edward Island who have been monitoring the spread of avian influenza for years are encouraged by the federal government's move to vaccinate people who are most at risk.
Last week, the Public Health Agency of Canada bought 500,000 doses of the vaccine that guards against the virus, which is also known as bird flu and formally as H5N1.
"This is a great step, and it speaks to preparedness," said Dr. Jason Stull, the chief of infection control at the Atlantic Veterinary College, based at UPEI in Charlottetown.
"We're taking this seriously, we're doing what we need to do so that we're in the best position so that should this virus change in a way that impacts us greater… that we can absolutely respond to it, so I think that that's the right next step to do."
The Public Health Agency of Canada purchased 500,000 doses of the vaccine Arepanrix H5N1 from drug maker GSK to protect against the virus for those most at risk of exposure. That includes veterinarians and others who work closely with infected animals.
Sixty per cent of the doses will be distributed to provinces and territories "in the coming weeks," the agency said on Feb. 19, while the remainder will be stockpiled "for national preparedness."
P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Office will determine who will be able to get the vaccine in this province. The agency said in a statement to CBC News that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization "has not recommended a broad deployment" of the vaccine.
"Although P.E.I. has detected sporadic cases of H5N1 in wildlife over the last two years, at this time, P.E.I. has not had any H5N1 outbreaks in domestic agricultural production or human cases of H5N1," reads the statement.
"P.E.I. will have access to H5N1 vaccine at any time for farm workers in the case of infected animals or if there is a need to provide prophylaxis to humans to prevent spread."
Stull said the biggest worry with bird flu on the Island is its potential to infect animals like wild birds and domestic poultry.
The virus does have the potential to spread to humans if it enters our milk supply through dairy cattle that contract the flu through contact with infected animals.
However, Stull said the risk of that is very low right now, so people shouldn't be afraid. He did say that Islanders and their pets should stay away from wildlife, particularly if it's dead, and domestic poultry.
"We've seen a variety of things happening in the United States. Over the past year, we've seen the virus move into dairy cattle, which previously we haven't seen," Stull said. "So part of it is really staying proactive and then taking the steps… to try and protect ourselves."
Canada reported its first domestically acquired human case of avian influenza last November when a teenaged patient in B.C. was placed on life support. The teen needed significant respiratory support, doctors said, then began to improve and was discharged from hospital on Jan. 7.
Another busy construction season has come to an end in London, and the city is already looking ahead to next spring when a slew of new projects are expected to begin.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has begun to lay out publicly what he sees as boundaries when dealing with China, as his government wades into a new relationship with the economic giant.
Ferry crossings are cancelled and over a thousand households are left without power Saturday morning, due to high winds and severe weather conditions.
Tens of thousands of Nova Scotia Power customers are waking up without power on Saturday morning after high winds and rain hit the province on Friday night.
Statistics Canada is reporting a population decrease last quarter for New Brunswick — its largest quarterly decline since the 1970s, according to an economic development consultant.
Residents clapped, danced, sang and cried in the Anishinaabe community of Kitcisakik this week when the lights were finally turned on for the first time.
A man is suing three members of a Winnipeg family and a real estate broker he alleges used his intellectual disability to financially exploit him through property deals in Canada and India, leaving him out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
When Stephanie Gamble watched her mother model the first dress she made, smiling wide and walking an imaginary runway, she knew that was what she wanted to keep doing in her life.
'Tis the season for cuddling on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watching holiday movies. And for people in B.C.'s Interior, that can increasingly mean seeing their home communities on display.
Every year, snowy owls spread their wings and migrate down to the Prairies, where they enjoy access to plenty of rodent prey in vast open spaces.
This month has been a busy stretch at the Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown.
N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland says she has received the final report from an independent investigation into education bodies in the Dehcho region.
P.E.I.’s auditor general says he’s concerned and disappointed that the projected deficit has doubled what government initially estimated it would be — and he's urging the province to balance its budget.