First Human Case Of Bird Flu Confirmed In Australia

Australia has reported its first human case of avian influenza and a separate outbreak of a highly contagious strain of the virus on a poultry farm in the state of Victoria.

The human case involved a child who had contracted the H5N1 strain of the virus while they traveled in India. Authorities in Victoria stated that the child experienced a severe infection but has since made a full recovery. 

Notably, contact tracing efforts have not identified any further cases associated with this incident, and health officials have emphasized the low risk of the virus spreading quickly between people.

Dr. Claire Looker, the state’s chief health officer, asserted that this was the first human case of bird flu in Australia and added that the strain detected in the child is not the same as those responsible for outbreaks in the United States earlier this year.

Concurrently, a separate outbreak of a different strain of highly pathogenic bird flu, an as-yet-unidentified H7 variant, has been detected at an egg farm near Melbourne. Authorities have imposed movement restrictions around the affected farm, and the birds will be destroyed to contain the spread of the virus.

Graeme Cooke, Victoria’s chief veterinary officer, noted that the area has a high density of poultry businesses, both egg-laying and meat production. While the current outbreak presents no risk to human health, the authorities have taken measures to prevent further spread to other properties.

The poultry industry in Australia has expressed concerns, and Rowan McMonnies, the chief executive of the Australian Eggs, stated that farmers will be “working hard to ensure there are eggs on shelves.” However, the Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) has reassured that companies have stepped up biosafety measures, and no significant impact on chicken meat supplies is expected at the retail level.

In 2020, the state of Victoria experienced an outbreak of the H7N7 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which the government has described as the most recent of the nine such outbreaks that have occurred in Australia since 1976. Authorities were able to quickly bring all of these previous HPAI outbreaks under control and eradicate the virus.

A recent study in the U.S. found that one in five milk samples tested showed traces of bird flu. 

Demand for raw milk has surged in recent months despite experts warning that it presents a high risk for infection with bird flu.