Nova Scotia’s agricultural industry is built on strong connections between people, animals, and the land. Whether you are raising livestock, managing a small hobby farm, or simply interacting with animals in daily life, one important concept to understand is zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases or zoonoses are illnesses or sicknesses that affect both animals and humans and can be transmitted between the two. All animals, both wild and domestic, can contract and spread zoonotic diseases. They spread in many ways, from direct physical contact to ingesting products that an infected animal produces.
Source: My Animal, My Health
Some common zoonotic diseases include:
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Avian influenza or bird flu is a zoonotic disease that occurs naturally among wild birds and poultry, with some strains, capable of infecting humans and other animals, including dairy cattle. It is highly contagious and can be deadly to domesticated birds such as chickens and turkeys. In the USA detections in dairy cattle have raised concerns about cross-species transmission and potential risks to both animal and human health.
Exposure
- It spreads through direct contact with infected birds, animals, their droppings, or touching contaminated surfaces.
- Consuming undercooked poultry of eggs from infected birds
- Raw milk from infected cattle has been found to contain the virus.
Symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing, cough, fever, drop in feed and water intake, drop in egg production, death, etc.
Prevention:
- Wear PPE and practice strict biosecurity measures on farms.
- Wash your hands, arms, and face thoroughly before and after handling poultry and avoid touching your face as much as possible.
- Limit contact between livestock and wild birds. – Do not eat or drink near chickens.
- Monitor animal health closely and report unusual illness or deaths in birds or cattle.
- Avoid consumption of raw milk—only consume pasteurized dairy products to reduce the risk of infection.
Biosecurity Measures
- All visitors should wear clean boots, gloves, and coveralls.
- Visitors exposed to poultry in the last 24 hours are not permitted unless they shower and change into clean clothes.
- Equipment such as glasses, computers and scales should be cleaned with a disinfectant before using them again.
- All equipment used to load, unload, or transport poultry should be cleaned after use and sanitized regularly.
Zoonotic diseases don’t just impact individual farms; they can affect the entire agricultural sector and public health. By staying vigilant and implementing strong biosecurity practices, we all can contribute to disease prevention.
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