Carolyn Law didn’t think much of it when a snow goose landed in her backyard in Richmond, BC, on Halloween.

But a few hours later, he had barely moved. Then he started rinsing his head repeatedly. About eight hours after he first saw the bird, it rolled over, began convulsing and died.

“It was a pretty sad thing to see, actually — really scary,” Law said.

Law said she called a wildlife rescue group and was told the symptoms suggested bird flu rather than physical injury, but without testing it could not be confirmed.

Encounters like Law’s are coming under new scrutiny after a B.C. teenager tested positive for bird flu in Canada’s first suspected human case of the infection. The patient is in critical condition.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, said in a press conference on Tuesday that the source of the infection is not clear.

Health experts and authorities say that while the risk of human infection with the H5N1 strain of bird flu remains low, people should avoid contact with sick or dead birds.

“People who work with animals or in animal-contaminated environments should take precautions, including the use of other personal protective measures, to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading infectious respiratory diseases,” Health Canada said in a communicated.

Concerns about bird flu have increased in recent years, with the virus leading to the slaughter of millions of poultry in North America.

Infections among commercial herds rose to over 20 in B.C. in recent weeks as migratory birds fly south for the winter.

Brian Ward, an infectious disease microbiologist at McGill University, said he couldn’t speculate whether the goose in Law’s backyard had the flu, but “it’s possible that if there’s an increasing number of ducks and geese found dead, then it’s very likely they were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza.”

Ward said it’s concerning that authorities aren’t sure how the sick BC teenager caught H5N1, with Henry saying the teen had no known contacts with poultry farms.

But Ward said a human infection in Canada is “almost inevitable” given the spread of the disease in recent years in North America and Europe. The US Centers for Disease Control says there have been 46 human cases of bird flu in the US, although there has been no known human-to-human spread.

Health Canada said in a statement that current domestic evidence shows that “the risk to the general public remains low.”

“To date, there has been no evidence of sustained person-to-person spread of the virus in any of the cases identified globally,” the department said. “Human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) is rare and usually occurs after close contact with infected birds or highly contaminated environments.”

The agency’s website says people cannot become infected by eating well-cooked poultry, eggs or meat.

Henry said the only case in Canada was in Alberta in 2014, in a person who likely contracted the virus while traveling in China.

But Henry recognized the danger posed by wild birds.

“One of the important things we need to do right now, recognizing that this virus is primarily circulating in wild birds, geese and ducks, (is) make sure that if you are in contact with sick or dead birds, that don’t touch them directly (and) keep pets away from them,” she said, noting that in Ontario a dog was infected after biting a dead bird.

Henry said people can become infected by “inhaling the virus in aerosols, in droplets that go into the eyes, throat, nose or deep into the lungs.”

“There were very few that could have passed from one person to another, so in some ways that’s reassuring because this virus doesn’t seem to spread easily between people if it gets infected, but it also causes disease very severe, especially in young people,” she said.

Henry said it’s highly likely the BC teenager’s infection came from exposure to either a sick animal or something in the environment, but it’s a “real possibility” they may never determine the source.

Her office said Tuesday that people should report dead or sick birds or animals to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s animal health office and that encounters involving wild birds should be reported to the BC Wild Bird Mortality Line.

It said anyone exposed to sick or dead birds, or who has been in contact with farms where bird flu has been confirmed, should watch for flu-like symptoms.

“If you have symptoms within 10 days of exposure to sick or dead animals, tell your doctor that you have been in contact with sick animals and that you are concerned about bird flu,” it said. “This will help them give you appropriate advice about testing and treatment. Stay at home and away from others while you have symptoms.”

Ward also advised those who come across a dead bird to call the authorities instead of disposing of it themselves.

“But if it’s on your property and you want to dispose of it, then definitely wear a mask and gloves, put it in a plastic bag as soon as possible and do everything you can to avoid aerosols, it makes a lot of sense. ,” he said, noting that H5N1 is a respiratory virus.

Law said her biggest concern was her dog, which was a few feet away from the dying goose.

“We didn’t want to go near her,” she said.

But later that night, her husband took matters into his own hands.

Wearing gloves and a mask, he double bagged the dead bird and put it in the trash, “which I felt was kind of unceremonious, but I guess that’s what you do,” Law said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 13, 2024.