Bird Flu Update

Bird Flu Update

SADA participate in an industry update regarding H5 Bird Flu with Minister Scriven and the Chief Veterinary Office from South Australia. 

Key points from that briefing are:

• South Australia has only recorded one confirmed case of H5 bird flu. This was in a vagrant migratory seabird found on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
• A small number of cases have been confirmed in Western Australia.
• Officers from PIRSA have completed an extensive survey of the states coast and adjoining waterways. There is currently no evidence of the disease within local wild bird populations.
• This is despite the intense surveying and over 700 reports from the public being investigated and 30 tests being conducted.
• The strain (clade) that has been detected in the few cases in WA and SA is the same as that found in Heard Island, 4000 km south west of the Australian mainland and is different to that seen in North America.

Farmers should report any unusual disease signs in herds or wildlife immediately to their veterinarian or contact the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888. Early detection and reporting remain critical to protecting Australia's livestock industries.

Useful resources:

• PIRSA - Avian Influenza
• Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s H5 Bird Flu page
• Risk assessment of H5 bird flu in Australian dairy cattle and other livestock
• Dairy Australia’s Emergency Animal Diseases page

SADA will work closely with PIRSA and Dairy Safe and with Dairy Australia, ADF and ADPF, and with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Animal Health Australia and other relevant stakeholders.

We will keep you posted.