https://www.nelsonstar.com/news/bird-flu-fighters-in-b-c-face-unprecedented-challenge-as-h5n1-spread-across-canada/

H5N1 has infected about 200 flocks with more than 3.5 million birds Canada-wide this year

• THE CANADIAN PRESS
• Nov. 15, 2022 7:30 a.m.
• CANADA & WORLD
• NEWS
• VIDEO

By some measures, the ongoing outbreaks of avian flu in British Columbia pale when compared to the devastating eruption of the disease in 2004 that prompted a cull of 17 million birds.

But the enemy that farmers and scientists now face represents an unprecedented challenge, experts say.

The current H5N1 strain is “behaving very differently” to previous versions, says British Columbia chief veterinarian Theresa Burns.

Unlike previous strains that were isolated in geography, the new threat is spreading across the country. The strain is highly pathogenic and can cause serious disease and death in birds.

“The scale is completely different,” Burns said in an interview, compared to previous B.C. outbreaks in 2004, 2009 and 2014.

“In all those other outbreaks, B.C…