Two birds in Yellowknife – a raven and a ring-billed gull – were recently confirmed to have bird flu, the NWT government says.
Officially called Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), the bird flu in the NWT birds was identified as the H5 strain, which is highly infectious for birds.
“Transmission of bird flu to humans is rare and relatively mild in nature,” said the GNWT in a Friday news release.
Dr Kami Kandola, the territory’s chief public health officer, encouraged caution when handling dead birds.
People should also avoid live birds “acting strangely” as well as surfaces that may be contaminated by these birds or by dead birds.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
To reduce your risk of contracting bird flu if you hunt, wear gloves and wash your hands often when processing the meat in a well-ventilated area; disinfect clothing, equipment, and surfaces afterward; and cook the meat to an internal temperature of 74C (165F).
If you are having flu-like symptoms or respiratory problems within 10 days of being in contact with wild or domestic birds that appear ill, call 811 or your local health centre for assessment.
Sick, injured, or dead wildlife can be reported to the Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) regional offices. Ideally, tell ECC the date, time, location, and description of what you saw.
The territory’s environment department said it will continue to investigate any other potential cases for HPAI.
Since 2022, there have been nine confirmed cases of HPAI in NWT birds.
