The Past, Present and Future of Bird Flu in Alberta
Breaking down avian influenza in Alberta as the H5N1 outbreak continues
Alberta is currently facing an ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, a highly contagious virus that has contributed to the death of millions of birds since 2022 and continues to spread through migratory populations.
This project explains what you need to know — from how the virus arrived in North America, to how outbreaks are managed today, and what risks lie ahead. Through expert insight and local reporting, it shows how H5N1 is impacting farmers, wildlife, and public health, and what can be done to limit the spread.
Past
How the virus went from routinely circulating in Asia to causing more than 2.5 million bird deaths in Alberta
A highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 is now affecting Alberta’s bird populations and poultry industry. It is part of a decades-long history of avian influenza that began overseas and gradually reached the province.
Over the past three decades, avian influenza has moved across continents, reappearing in new forms and affecting different species.
A virus cell. Photo by Fusion Medical on Unsplash
A virus cell. Photo by Fusion Medical on Unsplash
1996
Originally discovered in China in 1996, H5N1 caused large poultry-focused outbreaks before infecting its first humans the following year. Eighteen people were infected and six died, marking the first documented case of bird-to-human virus transmission.
While early outbreaks were largely confined to Asia, similar viruses began appearing in North America years later.
Infographic by Winston Clarke
Infographic by Winston Clarke
2004
The first serious wave of an avian virus in Alberta and Western Canada came in 2004. A H7N3 strain was discovered in Fraser Valley B.C. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report from March 2004, there were two human cases of the virus.
Both cases were poultry workers involved in culling operations. The WHO says they both suffered conjunctivitis and their symptoms resolved after being treated with oseltamavir, an antiviral drug effective against type A influenza viruses.
The report also details an outbreak of an H5N1 strain in Asia, resulting in 34 human infections and 23 deaths.
Avian influenza viruses are categorized by two surface proteins—hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) —which combine to form different viruses, such as H5N1 or H7N3.
Each virus can also mutate into different strains. Strains can differ in symptom severity, virus lethality, and type of animal it tends to infect. Some will focus on birds like the current strain of H5N1 that is moving around Alberta, while some are more likely to infect mammals.
Katharine Magor, adjunct professor in the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Alberta, says various H5N1 strains have been present in Asia over the last 20 years.
“About 850 people have contracted avian flu from those circulating strains from contact with poultry, and about half of the people have died,” says Magor. “These are different from the strains in Alberta now.”
A scientist looks at pigs in a pen. Photo courtesy Freepik
A scientist looks at pigs in a pen. Photo courtesy Freepik
2009
Although not an avian virus, in 2009, Alberta was struck by a pandemic of a pig-focused strain of H1N1. The disease's first human cases were two individuals returning from Mexico in April 2009.
By November, Alberta saw 480 hospital confirmed human cases and 20 deaths. The virus was officially declared a pandemic in Alberta on June 13, 2009.
The swine flu pandemic was the first time Alberta saw sustained animal-to-human virus transfer. In hindsight, the outbreak provided the province with the necessary skills for future disease and pandemic management, such as H5N1 and COVID-19.
According to the Government of Alberta (GOA), its current pandemic influenza plan was “put forward by the Health Quality Council of Alberta on lessons learned from the 2009 pH1N1 influenza pandemic.”
A doctor looks at a Holter monitor. Photo by Ceaser Badilla Miranda on Unsplash.
A doctor looks at a Holter monitor. Photo by Ceaser Badilla Miranda on Unsplash.
2014
The first human case of an avian H5N1 virus in Alberta came in January 2014. According to a CBC article from the time, a woman contracted the virus after travelling to Beijing. She died Jan. 3 of that year.
Officials said there was no greater public health threat as the virus was still incapable of human-to-human transmission.
However, investigators were confused when they were unable to find any kind of link between the woman and close contact with birds. James Talbot, Alberta's chief medical officer at the time, said that the woman could have been infected at a place such as a restaurant that keeps live birds for slaughter.
This marked the first time H5N1 made major news in Alberta, and the virus was formally identified in the province
A murmuration of European starlings flies overhead. Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash.
A murmuration of European starlings flies overhead. Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash.
2022
The current H5N1 epidemic began in 2022. On April 6, the disease was detected on a small commercial farm. Since then, Alberta has seen more than 85 avian cases of H5N1, according to the GOA, resulting in the death of more than 2.5 million birds either through culling or the diseases lethality.
The virus continues to spread, with the number of concurrent cases peaking at 38 back in 2022 when experts were less familiar with the disease.
Ashish Gupta in his office at the University of Calgary. Photo by Winston Clarke.
Ashish Gupta in his office at the University of Calgary. Photo by Winston Clarke.
2025
The most recent surge in cases came at the end of 2025 as fall migration spiked the number of infected birds to over 120, according to the Government of Alberta.
Anatomic pathologist Ashish Gupta with the University of Calgary, pictured above, said bird populations are constantly exposed to a variety of usually unremarkable influenza viruses. However every new generation or spontaneous mutation of a certain virus has the chance to be an epidemic.
He says the province is unlucky this time that the latest H5N1 strain holds the combination of highly infectious and highly lethal.
Present
Virus brings lethal symptoms, hard decisions and a need for collaboration
To this day Alberta’s poultry industry is continuing to deal with the 2022 outbreak of highly infectious H5N1 avian influenza.
Many influenza viruses traditionally do not cause severe illness in birds, according to Dayna Goldsmith, an anatomic pathologist at the University of Calgary. However, this strain of H5N1 is anything but traditional.
It spreads rapidly in affected bird populations and carries a high mortality rate. Avian viruses with a high mortality rate are called highly pathogenic and have different effects on various types of birds.
As of March 2026, there are nine active cases of avian influenza in Alberta, the highest number in Canada. Ontario ranks second with eight active cases, while British Columbia ranks third with seven.
“The problem is focused in southern Alberta, primarily along the Oldman and South Saskatchewan rivers from Pincher Creek to Medicine Hat. Mortality largely involves Canada geese congregated on unfrozen waters,” the Government of Alberta (GOA) states on its website.
The current risk for the general public is low, according to the GOA. However, producers should take caution to protect themselves and their flocks as migratory birds return in the spring.
“The detection of multiple infected flocks in September 2025 signals the possibility of a resurgence of domestic poultry cases,” states the GOA.
In a statement, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says geese and other waterfowl can act as natural reservoirs for the virus. The agency attributes the rapid spread of the virus in Alberta to its ability to infect wild birds, survive in a variety of environments, and mutate quickly.
The virus can exist in living birds, their carcasses, the environments they have been in and their feces. Exposure to any of these can result in an infection that quickly spreads through a bird population. This is how the virus is able to infect so many poultry populations, even ones that are contained in buildings.
When an infection is suspected
Anatomic pathologist Ashish Gupta says that when a case of suspected H5N1 is reported, samples are collected by field veterinarians and sent for testing.
He says some symptoms that can indicate a potential H5N1 infection in birds are a sharp drop in egg production, swelling of the head and face, runny eyes, nasal discharge, and hemorrhages on the face and legs.
While the samples are tested, the farm is placed under quarantine, and the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer is notified of the potential infection.
Should any of the farm’s flock test positive, the CFIA will step in and take control of the situation. The current CFIA response strategy to H5N1 is to cull any infected birds to prevent further spread.
Poultry Veterinarian Teryn Girard says poultry farmers and domestic bird owners are among the most affected when their flock tests positive.
Scientist fills up a small cone shaped container with a purple liquid. Photo by Julia Koblitz on Unsplash
Scientist fills up a small cone shaped container with a purple liquid. Photo by Julia Koblitz on Unsplash
"This is their site. These are their birds. This is their way of life. This is their culture,"
Farmer points to his chickens feed as they wait in cages. Photo by Egg Farmers of Alberta.
Farmer points to his chickens feed as they wait in cages. Photo by Egg Farmers of Alberta.
Teryn Girard on supporting farmers.
Teryn Girard on supporting farmers.
“Depopulation can be a distressing outcome for an animal owner. When depopulation is necessary … CFIA veterinarians and inspectors work with poultry farmers to see that depopulation is completed humanely using internationally accepted methods,” states the CFIA.
Depopulation is often difficult for veterinarians as well.
“I think it's a hard job that they have to do, and I have a lot of respect for them,” says Goldsmith. “Ultimately, it’s to keep people and producers safe.”
Support and collaboration
Support is a key factor in effective management of H5N1, according to Goldsmith. Those working to end the disease need support from the provincial and federal governments and from the public.
“Not just on reporting, but also to consider things like donating to groups like the CWHC (Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative), that kind of go above and beyond to try and help,” says Goldsmith.
Since the start of the outbreak, members of the scientific community have been working to support each other. Goldsmith and Gupta both say they share information much more frequently now than they did when this current strain of H5N1 began to spread four years ago.
“Our data gets shared directly or indirectly with the poultry industry so that we can keep track of where this virus is happening in the province every year to kind of give, ideally to give a little bit of warning … when we're seeing it in new spots,” says Goldsmith.
Girard also says she has seen increased collaboration as a result of this virus. Both on a large scale in the scientific world, but also in small communities, in ways that may be forgotten about in the grand scheme of H5N1 management.
One of her clients experienced an outbreak in their flock at the same time they were moving into a new home.
“We brought meals so that they didn't have to worry about cooking when they're going through all of that,” says Girard.
Future
Spring migration risks increased cases a mutation of human to human infection
The virus continues testing how governments, researchers, poultry producers and the support networks that have been established respond to disease outbreaks.
Tests come in the form of a potential spike in cases brought on by spring migrations back to Western Canada and possible mutations that would allow for human to human transmission of H5N1.
In response Canada secured a limited stockpile of H5N1 vaccines in February 2025. The doses are intended primarily for people who work with poultry under high-risk conditions.
“If we see this virus take off, become a human virus, then I think we would deploy that vaccine very rapidly,” says adjunct professor in the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Alberta, Katharine Magor.
A migratory bird sign is pictured at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary. Photo by Winston Clarke.
A migratory bird sign is pictured at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary. Photo by Winston Clarke.
The four major North American migratory bird flyways pictured in different colours. Map by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The four major North American migratory bird flyways pictured in different colours. Map by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Spring Migration
This spring, scientists are closely monitoring bird migration. As millions of birds move across flyways, the virus can travel with them.
Magor says certain bird species, such as geese, carry the disease long distances across the continent without showing any symptoms.
“We piggybacked on some experiments that were done in Winnipeg on Canada geese and green-winged teal or blue-winged teal …two birds that come through Alberta on our flyways,” says Magor.
The experiment found that different species respond to the virus in various ways. Canada geese became very sick and died from the virus, while blue-winged teal cleared it quickly, making them very effective spreaders of H5N1 over long distances.
As these birds return to Alberta, the potential for a spike in cases rises — heightening apprehension about how the virus may evolve.
Potential Mutation
Increased infections in mammals worldwide have raised concerns about a potential strain of H5N1 that could spread from human to human. A recent study found the disease in wild boars in Alberta.
Pigs are among the animals scientists watch closely.
“Pigs are really dangerous because we know that they have both kinds of receptors, the receptors for the avian flu, as well as the receptors for human flu,” says Magor. “They could get infected with both and make a new version of a virus.”
That process, known as reassortment, has played a role in past influenza pandemics.
If an animal were to get a human virus and H5N1 at the same time, H5N1 could mutate and acquire the virus's ability to transmit between humans.
This could take the virus from being a bird issue to a human one with sustained and consistent spread from person to person.
Infographic by Winston Clarke.
Infographic by Winston Clarke.
Anatomic pathologist Dayna Goldsmith in her office. Photo by Winston Clarke.
Anatomic pathologist Dayna Goldsmith in her office. Photo by Winston Clarke.
Anatomic pathologist Dayna Goldsmith says one way to reduce the risk of reassortment is to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu.
The regular flu vaccine does not directly protect against H5N1, but it reduces the risk of mutation by limiting the presence of human flu viruses.
Beyond vaccination, Goldsmith says public awareness remains an important part of managing the virus. Researchers continue to encourage people to report confirmed cases of H5N1 to the Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Simple precautions can help reduce exposure for people who encounter infected birds or their carcasses. Goldsmith says proper hand washing with soap and water will kill the virus and protect people from infection.
Magor says that pet owners should be extra cautious about feeding animals raw poultry products.
In North America, cats have become infected after eating contaminated raw pet food, and dogs have been infected after eating dead birds carrying the virus.
For now, the virus continues to circulate largely among birds, but the scientific community is watching closely for whatever may come next.
"The virus is changing. We don't know how exactly right now, and as I said, we're definitely monitoring it all the time," says Goldsmith.
Infographic by Winston Clarke.
Infographic by Winston Clarke.
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