Australia and New Zealand prepare for imminent bird flu threat

Published 2024년 10월 9일

Tridge summary

Australia and New Zealand are intensifying their biosecurity efforts to safeguard against the infiltration of the H5N1 bird flu virus subtype 2.3.4.4b, a strain that has wreaked destruction across Asia, Europe, and Africa since 2020. This strain has recently reached Indonesia and Antarctica, posing a significant threat to Oceania's ecosystems, including endangered species and its agricultural industry. Both countries are implementing measures such as enhancing farm biosecurity, testing and vaccinating vulnerable species, and developing response plans. Australia is also working on vaccination options for endangered wild birds in captivity. Farmers are adopting practices to limit wild bird-poultry contact, while New Zealand is learning from farms in Australia and Britain. The situation underscores the challenges of balancing wildlife conservation with safeguarding agricultural interests in the face of a global health crisis.

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Original content

CANBERRA/WELLINGTON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Australia and New Zealand are bracing for the arrival of a destructive strain of bird flu by beefing up biosecurity on farms, testing shorebirds for disease, vaccinating vulnerable species and creating response plans for war games. Oceania is the last region in the world free of the H5N1 bird flu virus subtype 2.3.4.4b, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and tens of thousands of mammals since it emerged in Asia, Europe and Africa in 2020, littering beaches with carcasses and destroying the agricultural industry. While the region is somewhat protected by its geography — it is off the migration routes of large birds such as geese that spread the infection — the virus is close at hand, having reached Indonesia in 2022 and Antarctica last year. Scientists and officials say there is a heightened risk, particularly in Australia, of the insect arriving with smaller coastal migratory birds during the southern hemisphere spring months of ...

Source: NoticiasAgricolas