Avian Flu Spreads in British Columbia

An outbreak of avian flu has spread to seven farms in British Columbia over the past week, resulting in 155,000 birds that have died or been euthanized, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Authorities first reported the outbreak last week when turkeys and chickens at two Fraser Valley farms east of Vancouver tested positive for the H5N2 strain. The disease does not pose any major threat to humans as long as meat is cooked properly, but so far eight countries have banned the import of British Columbia poultry. Officials are uncertain what caused the outbreak.