Outbreak of H5N5 bird flu on backyard farm in Newfoundland and Labrador

Eggs are cleaned and disinfected at the Sunrise Farms processing plant in Petaluma, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2024. AP/Terry Chea

PARIS (Reuters) - Canada has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N5 avian influenza on a non-commercial backyard layer poultry farm in Newfoundland and Labrador, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Tuesday.

The spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged flocks around the world, disrupting supply and fuelling higher food prices. Its spread to mammals, including dairy cows in the United States, has raised concerns among governments about a risk of human transmission.

Analysis of the H5N5 virus detected in Newfoundland showed that it was similar to the H5N5 one which had hit Canada in 2023, the Paris-based WOAH said in a report, citing Canadian authorities.

It also showed that it was related to the H5N1 (2.3.4.4b) lineage that has affected some farms in Canada and has been spreading in other parts of world, mainly in the United States and Europe.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Alison Williams)