Eurasian H5N5 bird flu found in P.E.I. raccoons

Case discovered in April first of its kind in Canada

“Please prevent your dogs and cats from eating dead or alive birds.”

Dr. Megan Jones Assistant professor at the Atlantic Veterinary College

Dr. Megan Jones, an assistant professor at the Atlantic Veterinary College, is warning residents to keep their pets away from birds after the first case of Eurasian H5N5 bird flu in Canada was found in dead raccoons in Charlottetown in early April.

A news release from the University of Minnesota said the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) reported that along with the two raccoons, wild birds were found infected with the virus in Prince Edward Island and in New Brunswick.

Jones, who is also regional director of the Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative, said she thinks the H5N5 variant came to Prince Edward Island from migratory birds from Norway.

She added that, after operating on one of the raccoon corpses, they found the virus was spread through mammals eating birds that were infected with H5N5.

“Animals like raccoons, which are omnivores, probably ate birds during the late winter and became infected.”

Jones believes this is the same reason foxes, skunks and other animals have become infected with the H5N1 variant of the bird flu.

She added that dogs and cats should steer away from birds.

“Please prevent your dogs and cats from eating dead or alive birds.”

Jones noted that a dog in Oshawa, Ont., was infected with H5N1 after chewing on a wild goose and died later after developing symptoms.

In the U.S., there have been 11 more reports of H5N1 reported in mammals, bringing the total to 191 since April 2022.

P.E.I. has also seen its fair share of mammals with H5N1, as skunks and foxes were infected with the virus, reported the Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative.

Jones said they found more than 10 skunks infected with the H5N1 virus.

The U.S. health officials are continuing to monitor H5N1 spillovers from birds to animals, as the currently circulating natural group in multiple areas has a mutation that makes it easier to recognize by mammalian airway cells, including humans.