Alberta Health Services says human infections are rare, risk to public is low

Alberta Health Services has ordered Butterfield Acres Petting Farm to close after nine cases of avian influenza were found.

The cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) were detected in poultry, AHS said in a news release Sunday morning.

In an email, Butterfield Acres told CBC News the farm is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and provincial health officials "to rectify the situation."

" With the wild bird migration season upon us, this sort of unfortunate thing is always a possibility," the email said.

The farm, located on Rocky Ridge Road N.W., in the city's northwest, closed voluntarily from Oct. 13 to 17, but AHS issued a formal closure order on Oct. 17, the AHS release said.

AHS says Butterfield Acres will remain closed until inspectors decide it is safe to reopen.

"While HPAI primarily affects birds, rare human infections have occurred through close contact with infected animals. The risk to the public remains low," AHS said in a statement to CBC News.

People who visited the farm from Oct. 6 and Oct. 12 are asked to self-monitor for any symptoms. Common symptoms of avian flu, according to AHS, can include:

If a visitor has experienced a fever, cough or sore throat, or if symptoms develop within 10 days of visiting, AHS recommends isolating at home and calling Health Link at 811 for assessment.