The Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs has confirmed the presence of avian influenza in gannets in the Magdalen Islands.
Updated yesterday at 11:18 p.m.
In recent weeks, hundreds of bird carcasses have been strewn on the shores of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine archipelago. Five specimens had been collected and sent for analysis.
“Like many Madelinots and Madeliniennes, I am saddened and worried by the discovery of many carcasses of gannets found everywhere on the beaches of the archipelago,” said the deputy of the Îles-de-de-France on Facebook on Sunday. la-Madeleine to the National Assembly of Quebec, Joël Arseneau. Northern gannet deaths had also been recorded elsewhere in Canada.
Some preliminary notices raised the possibility that it was caused by avian flu. This hypothesis was confirmed on Tuesday.
“Case detection in the Magdalen Islands was predictable. Indeed, several cases of avian influenza have been detected in wild birds in Quebec since the beginning of April, as well as elsewhere in Canada and the United States since December 2021,” the ministry said in a press release.
In 2022, 45 suspected or confirmed cases of avian influenza in Quebec were reported by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The province recalls that avian influenza is transmitted “with difficulty and rarely” to humans. “When it does, this virus typically affects workers in close and sustained contact with infected poultry in enclosed settings,” they said.
Regional Public Health, however, asks citizens not to touch dead birds and to keep their pets away. The public is also invited to report any birds found to the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs by calling 1-877-346-6763 from Monday to Friday.
Although all species of birds are at risk of being infected, domestic birds, such as chickens and turkeys, and aquatic species, such as geese, ducks and gulls, are more often affected by the disease. sickness.