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Daily Brief

The PSEPC Daily Brief is a compilation of summaries of publicly available and PSEPC information concerning critical infrastructure protection and emergency management.

DOB06-016 - 24 January 2006

News

Alberta cow tests positive for mad cow disease
Further to PSEPC Daily Brief DOB06-015, on January 23, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, in an approximately six-year-old cross-bred cow born and raised in Alberta. No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems. The CFIA, working collaboratively with the producer and the Province of Alberta, has launched a comprehensive investigation into the feeding regime and storage practices employed on the farm, as well as the production and source of feeds delivered to the farm.

This case was identified through Canada’s national surveillance program, which targets cattle at highest risk of being infected with BSE. The program has tested more than 87,000 animals since Canada’s first BSE case in 2003. The geographic location and age of this infected animal are consistent with the three domestic cases previously detected through the national BSE surveillance program. The clustering of these cases is examined in the epidemiological report, Canada’s Assessment of the North American BSE Cases Diagnosed from 2003 to 2005 (Part II).
(Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 23 January 2006)
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In brief

Avian Influenza: Update
On January 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional two cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Both cases, a 13-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother, were fatal. Investigations conducted by the WHO and the Ministry of Health found evidence of a large poultry outbreak in the victims’ neighbourhood. These latest cases bring the total number of confirmed cases in Indonesia to 19, 14 of which have been fatal.

Since 2003, the WHO has confirmed a total of 151 human cases with the H5N1 avian influenza, including 82 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization, 23 January 2006)
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Cyber risk assessment

Over the course of the past 24 hours, the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) has not detected any significant new threats or vulnerabilities. No significant incidents with the potential to affect critical infrastructure have been reported. Accordingly, based on the information available to CCIRC, the cyber risk facing Canadian critical infrastructure is assessed as low. Personnel responsible for information, systems and network security should continue to apply appropriate security precautions and monitor their systems.

See also...

• The Weather Office
• FAC - Travel Updates

Note to readers

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) collects information related to cyber and physical threats to, and incidents involving, Canadian critical infrastructure. This allows us to monitor and analyze threats and to issue alerts, advisories and other information products.

Any suspected criminal activity should be reported to local law enforcement organizations. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) National Operations Centre (NOC) provides a 24/7 service to receive such reports or to redirect callers to local law enforcement organizations. The NOC can be reached at (613) 993-4460. National security concerns should be reported to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) at (613) 993-9620.

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