Was H1N1 Flu Strain Found in Canadian Turkey Flock?
Turkeys in the Canadian province of Ontario have become infected with the H1N1 flu virus, but no birds or eggs from the farm entered the food supply, provincial government officials said on Tuesday. The infection poses minimal risk to human health, Dr. Arlene King, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said in a news conference in Toronto. However, she noted the discovery highlights the need for those who work with farm animals to be vaccinated for both seasonal flu and the pandemic H1N1 flu strain. The risk of the virus passing between people and animals is that the virus could evolve into a form against which humans have little or no immunity, King said. There is no evidence that the virus has changed, she added. The discovery in a single Ontario barn by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the second known incident of turkeys becoming infected with the H1N1 virus, also called swine flu. The first was in a flock in Chile. Sources:
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Turkeys in the Canadian province of Ontario have become infected with the H1N1 flu virus, but no birds or eggs from the farm entered the food supply, provincial government officials said on Tuesday. Sources: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,578294,00.
