( TurkishDailyNews ) A strain of bird flu that is not harmful to humans has been confirmed at a large chicken farm in Regina, Saskatchewan, officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday. The Avian influenza is the H7N3 strain - the same found in a 2004 outbreak in British Columbia that saw 17 million chickens destroyed, but different from the strain dangerous to humans, said veterinarian Dr. Sandra Stephens during a press conference in the city. The farm in question, Pedigree Poultry at Regina Beach, breeds chickens that produce fertilized eggs for other farms. These eggs will be hatched at another facility, but Stephens told reporters that the virus could not be carried by chicks born from those eggs. None of the animals from the farm got into the food chain. Even if they had, the disease does not make the meat unsafe for humans, said Stephens. "It is important to remember that neither this nor any other AI (avian influenza) virus increases risk to food safety when properly handled." The chicken farm is about 40 kilometers ( 24 miles) north of Regina and has been quarantined since Wednesday. Stephens emphasized that the CFIA is handling the outbreak in accordance with international standards.
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