Four B.C. poultry farms quarantined for avian flu

Four British Columbia poultry farms just north of Washington state were under quarantine Wednesday as Canadian health officials scramble to contain an outbreak of H5 avian influenza that has already claimed at least 18,000 chickens and turkeys.  Canadian officials are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate whether the highly contagious virus has spread to Washington. So far, investigators have found no transfer of poultry between the B.C. farms and U.S. growers, said Harpeet Kochhar, chief veterinarian of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.  Read More