Alliance-funded research predicts avian flu outbreaks and spread

The results can help the poultry industry take rapid action.

Ontario Farmer spoke with Dr. Shayan Sharif and Dr. Rozita Dara, researchers in the Ontario Veterinary College's Department of Pathobiology and College of Engineering and Physical Sciences' School of Computer Science, respectively.

The U of G computer scientists and poultry researchers are harnessing advanced AI and comprehensive data sources to predict the appearance of avian flu in Canada. The overall objective is to control its spread.

“University of Guelph has become one of the main hubs as a broker of knowledge in the area of avian influenza,” says Sharif.

“This is a matter of clear and present danger and risk to our food sources, to our ecosystems and to human health. This is time to do something about it,” he said of their research.

Dara reports they can now predict an outbreak three days to two weeks before it's officially reported.

Read the article here: Social media posts used to predict avian flu outbreaks and spread