Aussie egg farm at Meredith in Victoria goes into lockdown over fears bird flu discovery is the strain causing mass poultry deaths around the world
Bird flu has been detected at an Australian egg farm, forcing it into lockdown amid fears it could be the strain that could trigger mass poultry deaths around the world – and potentially cause the next global pandemic.
Agriculture Victoria confirmed the presence of bird flu on Wednesday after a number of poultry deaths at an egg farm near Meredith, about 40km northwest of Geelong.
The property has been quarantined and Agriculture Victoria staff have arrived to support the business and conduct further investigations.
Samples have been sent to the Australian Center for Disease Preparedness in Geelong to determine the disease strain, Agriculture Victoria said.
Bird flu is a highly contagious viral infection that can cause severe symptoms and sudden death in domestic poultry, wiping out entire populations.
Bird flu has been detected at a Victorian egg farm, forcing it into lockdown. Chickens in an egg farm are depicted
A deadly species, HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b, has spread worldwide, causing widespread outbreaks in bird populations and extensive deaths.
It has not yet been detected in Australia, the Department of Agriculture said.
The virus has also spread to mammals, including humans.
Infected people have experienced mild symptoms or been asymptomatic, but some have experienced severe illness.
Bird flu could be possible cause the next human pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control warnedwhile the H5N1 strain spreading on farms continued to mutate.
In a report published earlier this month, the agency said bird flu viruses “have pandemic potential” in a section on vaccine rollout if there is human spillover.
A Texas dairy farm worker who contracted bird flu from a cow developed “very mild” symptoms, but the virus caused the blood vessels in his eyes to burst, leading to bleeding on the surface of his eyeballs.
Agriculture Victoria confirmed the presence of bird flu on Wednesday after a number of poultry deaths at an egg farm near Meredith (pictured), about 40km northwest of Geelong
The man is only the second person to be diagnosed with bird flu in the US, and the first worldwide believed to have contracted the virus from a mammal.
Nearly 900 people in 23 countries have been infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu over the past two decades, but all were linked to wild or domestic birds.
Dr. Vivien Dugan, who heads the CDC’s influenza division, emphasized that the risk to the general public is still “low.”
But she said repeated infections in livestock suggested the virus could become endemic to the species, raising the risk of H5N1 spillover to humans, who have close contact with the animals.