Climate change is directly associated with the expansion of zoonoses in Quebec, these infectious diseases that are naturally transmissible between animals and humans. The outbreak of avian flu in farms in the Eastern Townships is a glimpse of what awaits us in the coming years.
A third case of influenza has been detected in a duck farm in Estrie, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) confirmed yesterday.
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The wave of bird flu that has been spreading around the world since last year has therefore just reached the province. And poultry farmers remain on the alert, given the highly pathogenic nature of the H5N1 strain.
When a troop contracts the virus, “more than 90% will fall ill and the mortality rate can reach 100%”, argues the Dr Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal.
“This is the first time we’ve seen this in Quebec, that a commercial farm has been affected by an epidemic of avian flu”, says the man who is a member of the Research Group in the Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health (GREZOSP).
dangerous diseases
This flu is not very threatening to the general population.
“People at risk are those who are in close contact with infected birds, such as those who work in farms or slaughterhouses,” said public health specialist Yassen Tcholakov.
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But other zoonoses that are more dangerous and very sensitive to climate change have appeared in new regions of the world in recent years, such as the Nipah virus, Lyme disease or malaria.
Rising temperatures, precipitation and humidity cause insects that carry these infections to proliferate and then lead to their geographic expansion.
And these diseases are much less benign than avian influenza for humans.
Twenty years ago, it seemed unthinkable that ticks carrying Lyme disease would cross the Canadian border. “But today, it is no longer prudent, even in Quebec, to go casually for a walk in shorts in the forest in the middle of July”, underlines the Dr Vaillancourt.
More zoonoses
Since Quebec is not immune to weather variations, specialists expect zoonoses to continue their progression in the years to come.
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“Climate change leads to changes in ecosystems. Species of birds or animals that did not live in the same climate can now meet. They have closer contacts, exchange viruses, which creates new strains of diseases, ”explains the professor.
Of the 1,465 infections listed in humans, 60% are naturally transmissible between animals and humans, specifies the expert. Over the past 30 years, however, their proportion has risen to 75%.
“It’s been twenty years since we noticed an increase in their number and severity,” says Mr. Vaillancourt. “The trend is here, and there’s no reason to believe it’s going to stop.”