Bird flu has been detected at a Victorian egg farm, sending poultry businesses in the area into lockdown.
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THE LATEST
* Bird flu detected at egg farm after a number of poultry deaths is likely the H7N7 strain rather than the deadly H5N1 variant spreading worldwide
* Farm located in Meredith, about 40km northwest of Geelong, about 95km west of Melbourne
* Farm quarantined with a 5km zone around to restrict movement
* Several hundred thousand of birds will be culled
* Further testing underway to confirm the specific H7 strain
* Poultry supplier Inghams will step up biosecurity protocols and restrict access to its Victorian operations
* A child returning to Victoria from India in March is the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza in Australia
* Contact tracing confirmed no further cases of avian influenza connected to the child's infection
HOW IS IT SPREAD
* Highly contagious viral infection which can cause severe symptoms and sudden death in domestic poultry, wiping out entire populations
* Wild birds are the natural host of the disease and it can spread through close contact or contaminated environments
* Predatory and scavenger birds infected through eating infected bird carcases
* Chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, pheasants, emus and ostriches are most susceptible to being affected by avian influenza
* All bird species are thought to be susceptible to the H5N1 strain, which has also been detected in more than 50 mammal species, including polar and grizzly bears, bottlenose dolphins, lions, skunks and humans.
* Infected people have mild symptoms or have been asymptomatic, but some experience severe illness
* Authorities say eggs and poultry products in supermarkets do not pose a risk and are safe to consume
WORLDWIDE IMPACTS
* Deadly H5N1 variant first detected in wild birds in Europe in 2020, spread to birds in the US and Canada in late 2021
* More than 90 million birds and poultry infected with the H5N1 variant in the US since 2022
* European countries including France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Italy observed abnormal mass mortality in gulls during outbreaks
* Thousands of Adelie penguins and skuas have died in Antarctica after becoming infected with the strain
* Virus detected in US cattle in March
* Australia was the only continent to have not had a H5N1 case until a child was diagnosed after returning from overseas in March
* Two human cases of H5N1 in humans reported in the US
Australian Associated Press
