Australia: 2nd Victoria Farm Hit By HPAI H7N7

 Victoria State - Credit Wikipedia

#15,403

A couple of days ago, in A Disturbing Dearth Of Data, I wrote about the slowdown in reporting of a wide variety of non-COVID diseases, including seasonal influenza, MERS-CoV, and avian flu.  

In it, I mentioned the the recent H7N7 outbreak in Victoria Australia, and a report of H5N8 from Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, but overall avian flu reporting has been sparse.

Overnight Victoria's Agriculture Department reported a second farm has tested positive for H7N7, a week after the first one was reported.

While sporadic bird-to-human transmissions of H7N7 have been reported, it is not considered nearly as dangerous as either H5Nx or H7N9, as it usually produces pm;u mild symptoms in humans.  Two notable outbreaks include:

• 3 mild cases were reported in Italy in 2013 (see ECDC Update & Assessment: Human Infection By Avian H7N7 In Italy). 
• An in 2003 a large outbreak of H7N7 (89 confirmed, 1 fatality) was reported  in the Netherlands – with nearly all reported cases having very mild (often just conjunctivitis) symptoms. 

The CDC continues to carry avian H7N7 on their IRAT (Influenza Risk Assessment Tool) list of zoonotic influenza viruses with pandemic potential. Until 2013, all avian H7 viruses were considered less of a public health threat than avian H5 viruses, but that all changed when H7N9 emerged in China. 

For now H7N7 remains primarily a threat to the poultry industry.  

 

Second Victorian property positive for avian influenza

7 August 2020

Following a farm testing positive for H7N7 avian influenza virus (AI) on 31 July, a second egg farm near Lethbridge has now also tested positive.

The farm is within the existing Restricted Area and has been under movement restrictions and regular surveillance which has enabled rapid identification and containment of the disease.

Agriculture Victoria’s AgriBio lab confirmed overnight that the latest batch of surveillance samples from birds from the property had returned positive for AI.

Avian influenza (sometimes known as ‘bird flu’) is a highly contagious disease that predominantly affects chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, pheasants and ostriches. Many species of wild birds, including waterfowl and seabirds, can also carry the virus without symptoms.

The H7N7 virus is not a risk to food safety or the public as it rarely affects humans unless there is direct and close contact with sick birds.

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