The infected premises has been placed under quarantine.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed that a small backyard poultry flock in Kelowna has tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus.
The birds have been destroyed.
Two severe outbreaks in B.C. in 2004 forced producers to cull millions of birds.
The infected premises has been placed under quarantine by the CFIA and the ministry has notified producers within a 12-kilometre radius of the positive test result.
Owners of small or backyard flocks are urged to continue to be vigilant and have appropriate preventative measures in place.
Measures include eliminating or reducing opportunities for poultry to encounter wild birds, reducing human access to the flock, and increased cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization of all things when entering areas where flocks are housed.
