Thirty-six wild ducks in Canada have tested positive for H5 and H7 strains of
avian influenza viruses after two farms in the country's west part were found
infected with H5 earlier this week.
The ducks, taken from an area along the border between Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick in the Atlantic coast, are among 710 birds tested as part of a
national wild bird surveillance program, Canadian Press reported Friday.
Additional testing needs to be done to identify which strains of H5 viruses
were found.
Health officials say it is unlikely the viruses are the same asthe virulent
H5N1 strain causing widespread outbreaks among birds in southeast Asia which has
caused 68 human deaths.
Cases of H5 and H7 viruses have been found in Canada's British Columbia,
Manitoba and Quebec provinces recently. Earlier this week, a low pathogenic
North American strain of H5 viruses was found on two poultry farms in British
Columbia, leading to the culling of more than 110,000 birds.