Bird flu is detected in Sydney as commercial farm in Hawkesbury region is sent into lockdown

Health authorities are scrambling to stop the spread of bird flu after the disease was discovered on a farm in Sydney’s northwest.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) confirmed on Wednesday that the infectious disease had been found at a commercial egg farm in the Hawkesbury region.

A biosecurity quarantine will see the farm closed and a control area established around the site to try to stop the spread of the disease.

The strain of bird flu found is H7N8 and is different from the H7N3 and H7N9 strains spreading in Victoria and the H5N1 strain causing concern around the world.

Stopping the potential spread of both species has forced Victorian authorities to make plans to cull more than a million chickens and ducks on infected farms.

The state’s DPI believes the H7N8 strain is a “spillover” event that could have been transmitted by wild birds.

It noted that the highly pathogenic disease spread rapidly and had a high mortality rate among poultry birds, forcing the closure of the farm.

Consumers should not worry about eggs and poultry from supermarkets, and the outbreak did not pose a risk to public health, the government said.

“The government will work closely with the industry to reduce the risk of spread and minimize any impact on egg supplies,” a statement said.

Meanwhile, all poultry at the Golden Plains farm in Victoria will be humanely disposed of under veterinary supervision, while movement controls remain in place around Terang, Meredith and Lethbridge, Victorian authorities said.

“We continue to work with affected producers and the poultry industry to respond to these detections through continued testing and careful biosecurity practices,” state chief Graeme Cooke said.

‘Traffic restrictions are expected to be in place for several more weeks, and we are working with the industry to support poultry farmers with the logistical challenges they face.’

Most affected properties have chickens, but on June 13, a duck farm in Golden Plains Shire that produces eggs and meat and was already under quarantine was confirmed to have been infected with the virus.

Agriculture Victoria continues to reassure consumers that there is no need to worry about eggs and duck meat products as they are safe to consume.

The state’s DPI believes the H7N8 strain, unlike those spreading in Victoria, could have been brought to the farm by wild birds (photo, infected chicken)

Six of the infected properties near Meredith have been confirmed to have the H7N3 strain of bird flu, and one infected property near Terang has the H7N9 strain.

That includes the H5N1 strain that has infected billions of wild and farm animals worldwide, raising fears of human transmission.

The World Health Organization announced on June 5 that a two-year-old girl in Melbourne, who had recently traveled from India, had to be placed in intensive care in March after becoming ill with the H5N1 strain.

The case was confirmed by local health authorities in May.

While it was possible for people to contract bird flu viruses if they came into direct contact with infected animals, Agriculture Victoria said the current risk to the public remained extremely low.