A popular Calgary petting zoo and farm has been forced to temporarily close its doors after Alberta Health Services confirmed nine cases of the virus. bird flu in poultry farming.
Alberta Primary Health Services was notified Thursday of nine cases of avian influenza among poultry at Butterfield Acres in Foothills County, which also has a petting zoo, the agency said.
Officials said the facility was closed voluntarily from Oct. 13 to Oct. 17, and AHS issued a formal order on Oct. 17.
Butterfield Acres must remain closed until the terms of the order are met and until public health inspectors and medical professionals deem it safe to reopen.
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Although avian influenza, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, is rare in humans, infection occurs through close contact with infected animals.
People who visited the petting farm between 6 and 12 October are asked to monitor themselves for symptoms.
Anyone who visited the farm during this period and has since experienced a fever, sore throat, cough or other flu-like symptoms is asked to isolate at home and call Health Link at 811 for assessment and testing. AHS advised selecting option “2” and then option “1” when calling 811.
People who have not had symptoms do not need to call 811, but are encouraged to continue to monitor their health.
Anyone who visited Butterfield Acres between October 6 and October 12 and developed symptoms within 10 days of their visit is also asked to isolate.
The farm says it is working closely with provincial and federal health authorities to resolve the situation.
People who purchased tickets to the Pumpkin Festival on the Farm on October 25th or 26th will be contacted if they cannot resolve the situation before the event.
“Thank you everyone for your care and concern,” the farm’s website says. “This means so much to all of us here. Know that we are working on all the little steps to get things back on track as quickly as possible.”
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