<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/12/australias-back-yard-chicken-owners-urged-to-implement-biosecurity-measures-in-case-of-bird-flu-outbreak>
"Back yard chicken owners in Australia have been urged to implement biosecurity
measures to prevent contact with wild birds in the wake of a global avian
influenza outbreak.
Australia remains the only continent without HPAI H5 (high pathogenicity avian
influenza of subtype H5), after scavenging skua birds on mainland Antartica
tested positive for bird flu in February. Symptoms for affected birds include
diarrhoea, sneezing, a reduction in egg production and sudden death.
The risk of infection in Australian wild birds is classified as high, after a
risk assessment provided to the Department of Agriculture in December. The risk
to poultry is listed as moderate to high.
Dr Melinda Cowan, a veterinary specialist in avian medicine, said her Sydney
clinic is already making preparations for an outbreak.
“It’s critical that all bird owners, but especially our pet chicken owners, are
aware of how to implement and potentially improve their own biosecurity
measures,” she said. “And it’s sensible anyway.”
Cowan said authorities are worried about the disease being introduced by
migrating seabirds and nomadic waterfowl. The highly virulent strain of the
virus has been identified in more than 300 species of wild birds worldwide.
“We all need to really have our finger on the button,” she said. “We need to be
very mindful of what’s going on overseas, there are definitely some things that
we could implement straight away.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
