Sydney, July 3 (IANS). Authorities in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state on Friday said they have found the first suspected case of deadly H5N1 avian influenza on the country’s east coast.
New South Wales (NSW) Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said preliminary testing of samples taken from a migratory giant petrel bird found ill near Hawks Nest, a coastal town located about 165 kilometers north-east of Sydney, has indicated confirmation of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza strain.
He said that these samples have been sent to the National Science Agency for final confirmation. If testing confirms the infection, it would be the sixth case of the H5N1 strain on the Australian mainland and the first on the country’s east coast.
All five previous cases were found in migratory birds in June, with four in Western Australia and one in Southern Australia.
Moriarty said Friday that the state government has informed the poultry industry about the suspected case. He said, “We have not received any report of impact on the poultry industry. So there is no need to panic, keep buying eggs, keep buying chicken.”
Until the first case was reported in Western Australia (WA), the Australian mainland was the only continent in the world where the H5N1 strain had not reached. Since 2020, millions of birds and other wildlife have died across the world due to this virus. According to news agency Xinhua, this was the reason why Australia was considered free from this infection till now.
New South Wales (NSW) Chief Veterinary Officer Jo Coombs said Australian authorities are fully aware of the potential threat of H5N1 and have been preparing for any local outbreak for several years.
Avian influenza A(H5N1) is a subtype of influenza virus that infects birds and mammals, including, in rare cases, humans. The Goose/Guangdong-lineage of H5N1 avian influenza viruses first appeared in 1996. Since then the outbreak among birds has continued.
Since 2020, a variant of these viruses belonging to the H5 clade 2.3.4.4b has caused high mortality in wild birds and poultry in several countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. In 2021, the virus spread to North America, and in 2022 to Central and South America.
–IANS
KK/AS
