Avian Flu Scare in B.C. Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it is investigating the possibility of an H5 avian influenza outbreak on a turkey farm in B.C.'s Fraser Valley.

Agency spokesperson Monika Mazur says testing done at the B.C. provincial laboratory suggests the presence of an H5 virus but more tests are being done for confirmation at CFIA's national laboratory in Winnipeg.

Mazur says it's not yet known if the virus is of a high or low pathogenic strain and further testing must be done to determine what the virus's N or neuraminidase type is.

Mazur says the initial testing was done after turkeys on a 50,000 bird farm showed signs of respiratory distress.

Several farms within a three-kilometre radius of the turkey producer in Abbotsford, B.C., have been placed under the quarantine.