The migration of birds towards the Far North has been in full swing in recent weeks. Nunavut health authorities are asking hunters to be vigilant for animals that could be infected with H5N1 avian influenza, which is still circulating among birds and certain wild mammals.
The H5N1 virus was first observed in spring 2022 north of the 60th parallel. In Nunavut, confirmed and suspected cases to date exclusively affect birds.
The Government of Nunavut is working with the Canadian Wildlife Health Network (CWHN), whose laboratories are located in the south of the country, to analyze samples collected in the territory.
“So far, the number of cases has been relatively low in northern Canada compared to southern provinces,” the health ministry said Monday. “There is no indication that the virus can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of fully cooked birds or eggs.”
However, he asks residents, particularly hunters, to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus and the risk of exposure.
The ministry recommends “wearing gloves, washing hands with soap and warm water, and cleaning used clothing and equipment as soon as possible.”
He also urges hunters to be on the lookout for symptoms that may indicate that the animal has the infection, such as tremors or lack of coordination, swelling of the head, neck and eyes or still signs of nervousness.
Four confirmed and suspected cases in Nunavut
Avian flu was detected in a herring gull near Sanikiluaq in September 2022, then in a rough-legged hawk near Rankin Inlet in June 2023, according to the RCSF.
Suspected cases were also recorded in a thick-billed guillemot near Coral Harbor in August 2022 and in a herring gull near Cambridge Bay in September 2022.
“Other cases could occur as birds migrate north in the spring,” adds the Ministry of Health.
All of these cases were recorded near communities, demonstrating the crucial role of residents in data collection.
“[Le Nunavut] “is a large territory with vast spaces and where there is only one conservation officer in most communities,” explains the regulatory and operations coordinator of the Wildlife Activities Division of the Ministry of Agriculture. ‘Environment, Jon Neely.
“That’s why we rely heavily on our relationships with local hunters and hunters and trappers associations,” says Jon Neely, adding that they also help detect other viruses, such as rabies and trichinellosis.
Throughout the year, hunting remains an essential means of subsistence for the communities of the territory.
“[Les chasseurs] go to areas where few people go regularly,” recalls pathologist Brian Stevens of the RCSF.
They therefore have a lot of experience with the normal behavior of many of these wild animals, in addition to being able to detect the differences and changes associated with them.
– Brian Stevens, wildlife pathologist, Canadian Wildlife Health Network
A stubborn virus
Unlike some bird species from the south of the country, such as gannets, fewer species from the north tend to group together in colonies, according to the pathologist.
“It appears that most populations of geese heading north tend to disperse into various individual areas quite close together, rather than sticking together in groups,” he says.
He believes this trend could explain the low spread observed in this region.
On the other hand, after dairy cows and seals, a walrus from the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and a polar bear from northern Alaska were recently added to the list of animal species infected by avian flu.
Brian Stevens finds above all that what is worrying is its spread on a larger scale. “Given the extent to which this virus is spreading around the world and the fact that it continues to spread to different species of mammals, there is reason to fear that the situation could worsen in the future,” says -he.
“We have had outbreaks of influenza viruses affecting wildlife, causing bird deaths, but they do not tend to become the main virus that persists for a long period of time,” continues the pathologist.
At present, he still believes that the risk of contamination in a large number of northern mammals and in humans is not a “major” concern.
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