Wellington, June 20 (IANS). New Zealand has strengthened its preparations to deal with a possible infection after the bird flu (H5N1) virus was found in a wild sea bird in Western Australia. A senior official gave this information on Saturday.
According to Xinhua news agency, Biosecurity and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard said in a statement that several government departments have further intensified monitoring and preparedness.
“This strain of H5N1 bird flu is spreading around the world, but New Zealand’s geographical isolation has given us protection and ample time to prepare,” Hoggard said.
Australia has confirmed the H5N1 2.3.4.4b strain in a migratory seabird in Western Australia. At the same time, there is a possibility of infection in Giant Petrel, a huge sea bird found nearby. However, till now no incident of infection or mass death of birds has been reported in poultry farms.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation and are in contact with Australian authorities,” Hoggard said.
He warned that New Zealand cannot completely prevent the introduction of the virus through wild birds and that if it becomes established in native bird populations, it will be extremely difficult to eliminate.
The minister appealed to farmers, poultry keepers at home and people traveling around to strengthen biosecurity measures and inform immediately if clusters of sick or dead birds are seen. He said that at present there is no threat to food security and the risk to human health also remains low.
This is the first confirmed case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain on the Australian mainland. This virus has spread to many parts of the world since 2020 and has caused the death of millions of birds and other animals.
On Thursday, another bird, a giant petrel, was found in sick condition in a nearby area and has been kept in quarantine as a precautionary measure.
The Australian government had already allocated A$113 million (about US$79.2 million) to prepare for a possible H5N1 outbreak.
Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser said it would be clear within a few days whether the virus has become permanently established in any bird population in Australia.
It is noteworthy that before this, Australia was the only continent where H5N1 bird flu strain was not confirmed.
The virus can spread rapidly among poultry and wild birds, although cases in humans are still relatively rare.
In October last year, H5N1 bird flu was detected in Australia’s remote Heard and McDonald Islands, which are located in the southern Indian Ocean.
–IANS
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