The Canadian Food Inspection agency will be euthanizing 27,000 chickens on an Oxford County farm after confirming the presence of H5 avian influenza, the second case this month.
The inspection agency confirmed Saturday that it had placed a broiler breeder chicken farm in Oxford County under quarantine, to control the spread of the disease.
According to the CFIA, initial tests were done at the University of Guelph on Friday, after birds on the farm suddenly died over several days. The agency could not confirm the exact number of birds that had died from the virus.
All of the birds on the farm will be humanely destroyed and disposed of, the agency said.
The CFIA will also perform further tests to determine the subtype and strain of the virus. Tests will also be performed to confirm the severity of the disease, the agency said in a statement.
Earlier this month, 29 Ontario poultry farms were put under quarantine after the CFIA confirmed it had found H5 avian influenza on a turkey farm in Woodstock, Ont.
Approximately 10,000 turkeys on that farm had died of the disease, and CFIA officials euthanized 35,000 birds to stop the virus from spreading.
After putting the turkey farm under quarantine, the agency expanded the control zone to include a 10-kilometre radius from the infected area.
Avian flu rarely affects humans that do not come into close contact with infected birds. It also does not pose a risk when poultry products are properly handled and cooked, according to the CFIA.
With files from The Canadian Press
