#18,275
Only Australia, NZ, and the islands of Oceania remain free of the HPAI H5N1 virus that has spread globally over the past 3 years, and while they are protected by vast oceans, most experts expect the virus will arrive there eventually.
Australia does have indigenous LPAI viruses, which occasionally mutate into HPAI varieties. This year we've followed outbreaks of 3 different HPAI H7 viruses across 3 territories (see Australia: 11th Avian H7 Outbreak, Now Reported in ACT).
Their lack of imported HPAI H5 also been attributed to the Wallace and Weber lines; imaginary dividing lines used to mark the difference between animal species found in Australia and Papua New Guinea and the rest of Southeast Asia (see 2008 study Will Wallace’s Line Save Australia from Avian Influenza?).
On the western side you'll find Elephants, monkeys, leopards, tigers, and water buffalo while on the eastern side, you'll mostly find marsupials (kangaroos, Koalas, wombats, etc.). These stark faunal differences also extend to birds, reptiles, and even insects.
Importantly for avian flu, very few migratory birds appear to cross the Wallace line (see The Australo-Papuan bird migration system: another consequence of Wallace's Line).
But the recent introduction of H5N1 to Antarctica provides the virus with a potential southern route that could circumvent the Wallace and Weber lines. Last December OFFLU warned:
Given movement data demonstrating connectivity between the polar front to both the Antarctic and Subantarctic islands of Oceania, and Oceania itself, it is plausible that if HPAI H5 were present in the Antarctic region directly south of Oceania, it could be introduced to Oceania.
For the past year, wildlife authorities have warned that HPAI H5 could arrive via migratory birds, and that its impact on their population of immunologically naive avian and mammalian species could be devastating.
This morning over coffee I watched an informative webinar, held last week by Australia's Biodiversity Council, on what they are doing to prepare for HPAI H5's expected arrival. The 1-hour video is available on YouTube, and you'll find a link to a detailed summary below.
Note: Some of the video clips of affected birds may be hard for some people to watch.
But this is webinar provides a terrific overview HPAI H5 in general, and the threat it poses to Australian wildlife. I've only posted a few excerpts from the summary, so follow the link to read it in its entirety.
Highly Recommended.
News story
29 August 2024
Missed our bird flu webinar? You can catch up with the recording and access resources and other insights about highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI strain H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4 b) in this article.
Thank you to the 1500 people who attended our webinar about the new strain of bird flu - highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 - and the risks to Australian wildlife.
You can now watch a recording of the webinar. In the recording:
- Dr Michelle Wille from the University of Melbourne explains what H5N1 avian influenza is and how it is different to other strains of bird flu, the impacts of H5N1 on wildlife globally, how H5N1 is spreading, and the potential major impacts for Australian wildlife
- Dr Fiona Fraser from the Australian Government provides an overview of how the nation is preparing and the response plans for native wildlife beyond surveillance
- Dr Simone Vitali from Wildlife Health Australia show us what everyone should be looking out for and how to respond,
- And our experts respond to questions from the audience.
(SNIP)
Where can I go for more information?
- Visit Wildlife Health Australia's avian influenza page to access a full list of resources, including: factsheets, risk mitigation tools, communication guides, videos and other links.
- Visit Dr Michelle Wille's avian influenza website to access a wealth of information, including: updates on avian influenza reports in Australia, global situation updates, official guidelines, response updates and all the latest science.
- Access a free online course that covers emergency animal disease preparedness more generally via Animal Health Australia's website.
- Take a deep dive and read the Incursion Risk Assessment for Australia. This report reviews the HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.3b viruses to inform our understanding of how H5N1 might arrive in Australia and the potential consequences to wild birds, poultry and mammals.
(Continue . . . .)
