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B.C. teen with avian flu is in critical condition, provincial health officer says
Teenager from Fraser Valley is 1st person to have contracted virus in Canada
CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2024 12:00 PM PST | Last Updated: November 12
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The teenager who tested positive for avian flu is in critical condition and being treated for acute respiratory distress at B.C. Children’s Hospital, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says.
Henry says the teen, the first presumptive human case of avian flu contracted in Canada, was admitted to hospital late Friday.
Their condition “varied” over the weekend, Henry said, adding “our thoughts continue to be with this person and their family.”
Henry said work underway to confirm the diagnosis and trace potential sources of exposure through the B.C. Centre for Disease Control had given her “confidence” that the teen has H5 avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
WATCH | B.C. teen tests positive for avian flu — a first in Canada:
B.C. detects 1st presumptive human case of avian flu caught in Canada
4 days ago
Duration4:44British Columbia health officials said Saturday they are investigating what’s believed to be the first human case of avian influenza caught in Canada after a teenager tested presumptively positive for the disease. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist, breaks down what this means and what precautions people can take.
She says it’s likely that the teenager contracted the illness from exposure to an animal or the environment, although there’s a “very real possibility” that the source will never be found.
Henry said privacy considerations restrict what can be said publicly about the teen, but said they did not have any underlying medical conditions.
The teen first went to the emergency department on Nov. 2 and was tested and sent home, but returned to hospital days later when symptoms worsened.
Henry said contact tracing has been conducted on 35 to 40 of the teen’s family members, friends and acquaintances.
“We have not identified anyone else that is sick with the virus in B.C. right now,” she said. “We don’t see right now that there’s a risk of a lot of people getting sick.”
She said the teen was not in school during the infectious period of the disease, which roughly began on Oct. 31, two days before the onset of symptoms.
She said the teen has no links to people who had recently travelled to Southeast Asia, which has seen outbreaks.
According to Henry, the teen did not have any contact with birds but did interact with a variety of other animals — including a dog, cats and reptiles — in the days before becoming ill. Henry said testing on those animals has so far been negative for the virus.
No detected link to poultry farm outbreaks
She said no links have been found between the teen and local farms — including the two dozen B.C. poultry farms that have suffered avian flu outbreaks during the fall migration of wild birds. No links have been found to outbreaks taking place across the border in Washington state, she added.
Henry said the case is still being called a “presumptive positive” because it has to be confirmed at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, which could happen later on Tuesday.
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Infectious disease specialist Dr. Brian Conway said the virus can spread through direct contact with a sick animal, as had been the case with cattle workers in the U.S.
“There’s 40 or so [human] cases that occurred in the United States with dairy cattle,” he said. “It is [spread by] aerosol, by touch. We can take non-human examples of cats that got it from drinking the contaminated milk from an infected cow.”
Human infections rare
While avian influenza infections in humans are rare, Health Canada says symptoms can range from mild to severe, potentially leading to pneumonia, organ failure and even death.
Since 1997, over 900 human cases have been reported globally, primarily in Asia and Africa, with about half of them resulting in death, according to Health Canada.
WATCH | First human case of avian flu found in Canada:
Teen has Canada’s 1st presumptive human avian flu case
3 days ago
Duration2:42A B.C. teen is being treated in hospital for a presumptive case of avian flu, the first known case contracted in Canada. Officials are working to find the source of exposure and follow up with any contacts.
However, the government cautions this fatality rate may be overestimated, as mild infections can often go undetected and underreported.
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says that, as of Nov. 10, 23 sites in B.C. — mostly commercial poultry operations — are actively dealing with avian flu infections.
Over 6.4 million birds in the province are estimated to have been affected.
With files from Karin Larsen and The Canadian Press
State approves new wolf and coyote trapping regulations to limit conflicts with grizzlies
By: Allie Kaiser
Posted 5:12 PM, Nov 12, 2024
and last updated 8:47 AM, Nov 13, 2024
HELENA — The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission passed regulations for recreational coyote and wolf trapping in an attempt to reduce the amount of incidental grizzly bear trappings.
“This would be designed to prevent any further incidents of grizzly bear by-catch while preserving the ability of trappers to continue to support the livestock industry by working with producers both on private land and any allotments they might have,” said Dustin Temple, the Director of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.
During the commission meeting on Tuesday, the regulations were passed and will impact western Montana, the Rocky Mountain Front, and areas of Montana near Yellowstone National Park.
In this area, wolf and coyote trapping would start later on January 1st and end sooner on February 15th.
Temple said, “A lot of coyote trapping occurs outside of the particular time frame when we believe bears to be asleep, so we want to make sure that we’ve got a way to mitigate the potential impact of recreational trapping on grizzly bears, so we can continue to show Montanans, the rest of the country and particularly that fish and wildlife services is ready, willing, and able to manage grizzly bears.”
Trappers doing livestock protection must fill out and sign a declaration saying they have the producer’s permission to trap on their land.
The new rules also contain regulations that would take effect if a grizzly is found to be caught or injured in a foothold trap or snare in grizzly bear country.
Temple said, “One of the state’s responsibilities that it needs to fulfill in order to return that bear to state management is we have to show that we have a regulatory structure in place that will protect bears [and] continue to make sure they’re healthy.”
The regulations saw opposition from environmental groups like Trap Free Montana and ranchers who expressed concerns about having their information on declarations.
“Trap and snare modifications will only apply after a grizzly is known trapped, but since we have no required trap check, other than two limited exceptions, the grizzly could be trapped a week or more,” said KC York, president of Trap Free Montana.
A Montana Farm Bureau Federation representative, Karli Johnson, said, “Trapping is a controversial topic that merits public discourse, but these conversations should not be on the doorsteps of ranchers that are engaging in legal and responsible activities to protect their livestock.”
It is important to note that these regulations cover the 2024 trapping season.
You can find more information about the trapping regulations here.
West-central Montana hunter success down at midpoint
by NBC Montana StaffTue, November 12th 2024 at 3:20 PM
Hunters at west-central check stations experienced a slow couple of weekends in comparison to the beginning of the season, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Photo: NBC Montana
…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Hunters at west-central check stations experienced a slow couple of weekends in comparison to the beginning of the season, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Despite the slow weekends harvest totals are still up from last year.
At check stations near Anaconda, Bonner and Darby there were 5,212 hunter stops in the first two weekends of the season, up from 5,014 last year.
In the same period hunters checked 196 elk up from 165 last year, 68 mule deer compared to 57 last year and 168 white-tailed deer compared to 172 in 2023.
Officials remind the public to stop at check stations regardless of if you harvested animals and the general big game season ends on Dec. 1.
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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks sent out the following:
At the midpoint of big game general hunting season, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hunter check stations near Anaconda, Bonner and Darby all reported relatively quiet weekends, compared to the start of the season, but harvest totals remain up compared to last year.
Collectively, west-central Montana’s three FWP wildlife check stations saw 5,212 hunter stops during the first two weekends of the season, compared to 5,014 during the same period last year. Those hunters checked 196 elk, compared to 165 last year. They also reported 68 mule deer, compared to 57 in 2023 and 168 white-tailed deer, compared to 172.
Although deer harvest was slower during the third weekend, the deer rut picked up, and a handful of big mule deer and white-tailed deer bucks were harvested in all parts of the region. Mule deer harvest is up or on par with last year at all stations, and white-tailed deer harvest is down just slightly at the check station near Bonner, but on track with last season region-wide.
All stations are tracking on or above last season in elk harvest, with the biggest bump at the Bonner station of 38 elk, compared to 20 at the 2023 season midpoint.
Although wildlife check stations sample a relatively small portion of the overall effort and harvest, they capture important trends and biological information, and by stopping to report a harvest or an experience, hunters are helping with wildlife management in Montana. FWP reminds hunters they must stop at all wildlife check stations that they pass, even if they have not harvested any animals.
For more hunting season reminders and to track hunter success, stay tuned to the FWP weekly check station reports for west-central Montana. The general big game season runs through Sunday, Dec. 1.
Expanded Sunday hunting days added: PA Game Commission
Teen with bird flu in Canada hospitalized in critical condition
The teenager, who was previously healthy, had no farm exposure but had been exposed to dogs, cats and reptiles.
Health officials in British Columbia are still identifying the exact strain, but assume the case is H5N1.Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images
- https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/teen-bird-flu-canada-hospitalized-critical-condition-rcna179942
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Nov. 13, 2024, 6:14 AM PST / Source: Reuters
By Reuters
A teenager is in critical condition in a British Columbia children’s hospital, sick with Canada’s first presumptive human case of avian influenza.
“This was a healthy teenager prior to this, so no underlying conditions,” said provincial health officer Bonnie Henry in a news conference on Tuesday.
“It just reminds us that in young people this is a virus that can progress and cause quite severe illness and the deterioration that I mentioned was quite rapid.”
British Columbia health officials said on Saturday the province had detected Canada’s first human case of H5 bird flu in a teenager.
Henry said the province is still identifying the exact strain, but assumes the case is H5N1.
The World Health Organization says H5N1’s risk to humans is low because there is no evidence of human transmission, but the virus has been found in an increasing number of animals including cattle in the United States.
Henry would not disclose the teen’s gender or age but said they had first developed symptoms on Nov. 2 and were tested on Nov. 8, when they were admitted to hospital. Symptoms included conjunctivitis, fever and coughing.
As of Tuesday they were hospitalized with acute respiratory distress syndrome, she said.
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The teen had no farm exposure but had been exposed to dogs, cats and reptiles, Henry said. No infection source had been identified. “That is absolutely an ongoing investigation.”
Bird flu has infected nearly 450 dairy farms in 15 U.S. states since March, and the CDC has identified 46 human cases of bird flu since April.
In Canada, British Columbia has identified at least 26 affected premises across the province, Henry said Tuesday, and numerous wild birds have tested positive.
Canada has had no cases reported in dairy cattle and no evidence of bird flu in samples of milk.
“H5N1 has historically been able to cause critical and fatal illness,” although cases involving this subtype have tended to be mild, Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wrote in an email, adding that it will be necessary to confirm it is indeed H5N1 and what subtype.
Trapping plan for Indiana bobcats, once listed as endangered, moving forward for 2025
Indianapolis Star
1:01
1:01
The state’s natural resource managers will hold a public hearing Thursday in southern Indiana on the upcoming bobcat trapping set to start next year despite concerns from many Hoosiers.
The Natural Resources Commission will meet Thursday in Butlerville to discuss rules for the proposed new season and hear from Hoosiers about the plans to allow bobcat trapping next year.
Advocates for the trapping season say bobcats need to be controlled so they don’t kill pets and livestock. Senator Scott Baldwin, R-Noblesville, who brought forward the legislation earlier this year that established a bobcat trapping season, said in January the growing population of the state’s only wild cat is a detriment to smaller wildlife species. Baldwin did not immediately respond to IndyStar for this article.
Following the passing of the legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana’s DNR has proposed opening bobcat trapping to 40 counties in the southern portion of the state and set a statewide harvest cap at 250 cats.
The proposed season rules would allow licensed Hoosier trappers to take one bobcat per season and sell the hide.
If the Natural Resources Commission approves the proposed rules, the new season will begin in the fall of 2025.
Lack of study worries advocates
Samantha Chapman, Indiana state director for the Humane Society of the United States, is rallying support against the bobcat season.
“We’ve said from the very beginning that we just don’t know how many bobcats are in the state,” Chapman said. “It’s really important to have that information before determining a quota.”
The state used a population model developed by Purdue University “that incorporates the basic aspects of bobcat life history and simulates bobcat population dynamics in Indiana,” DNR spokesperson Marty Benson wrote in an email to IndyStar.
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“We are progressing with the rule following statutory requirements,” Benson wrote. “No separate study is required by the NRC or statute.”
Indiana also relies on bobcat reports Hoosier hunters send through the yearly Archer’s Index. This volunteer reporting relies on bow hunters reporting how long they spent hunting and what wildlife they saw in the field.
Chapman said she believes an increase in bobcat sightings across Indiana can be chalked up to the growing number of cameras set up along game trails.
Bobcats, once nearly gone from the state, have been recovering since first placed on Indiana’s endangered species list in 1969. The state removed them from the list in 2005 after reported roadkill and other mortalities increased in the early 2000s, according to a former furbearer biologist for DNR.
Indiana has about 4,000 Hoosiers holding trapping licenses, and state officials estimate half of them would apply for a bobcat permit.
A state analysis of the proposed rules says a bobcat season would provide furbearers with more pelts to sell, allow taxidermists to take on more work and give trapping equipment vendors additional revenue. Bobcat pelts typically sell for around $100, according to the analysis.
While trappers have been supportive of the rule, Chapman said Hoosiers largely disagree.
“This is different than hunting a deer,” Chapman said. “You’re really leaving an animal stuck and suffering in a really uncomfortable position for up to a day which is incredibly inhumane. Then it is just being sold, usually in foreign markets outside of the state of Indiana.”
Hoosiers can speak at the public hearing
The Natural Resources Commission is holding its public meeting Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Purdue Southeast Agricultural Center in Butlerville.
Hoosiers can attend the meeting in person to provide comments, or join the meeting online at in.gov/nrc/rules/rulemaking-docket.
Exposing the Big Game 
