#18,338
On February 8th - just 5 days after Australia declared their 2024 multi-state outbreak of avian flu (see map above) officially over - the state of Victoria reported their first outbreak of HPAI H7N8 in a poultry farm.
While the same (H7N8) subtype as outbreaks reported by NSW and ACT in 2024, laboratory analysis determined it to be a different virus, indicating a fresh spillover from birds.
LPAI (Low path) H7 or H5 viruses - which are ubiquitous in wild birds - can sometimes make their way into a poultry flock, where they spread, evolve, and occasionally spontaneously mutate into highly pathogenic (HPAI) viruses.
Last updated 25 February 2025
H7 avian influenza (bird flu) is confirmed at a fourth poultry property in northern Victoria near Euroa. All infected properties are within the restricted area and under quarantine.
Given the close proximity to existing infected properties, this new detection is not unexpected.
Diagnostic tests confirmed a high pathogenicity strain of H7N8. The tests were done at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong.
This is a new outbreak and not related to the 2024 outbreaks in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory which were successfully eradicated.
This is not the H5N1 bird flu strain that is impacting other parts of the world.
A restricted area with a radius of about 5 km is in place around the infected properties. This is part of a larger control area in Strathbogie Shire, east of the Goulburn Valley Freeway. The goal is to prevent movements that could spread the virus.
Townships impacted include:
- Euroa
- Violet Town
- Longwood
- Ruffy
- Avenel
- Strathbogie.
The control and restricted areas have specific rules.
Producers located within the restricted area with 50 or more birds including poultry need to follow a housing requirement.
Any suspicion of an emergency animal disease (EAD) should be immediately reported to the 24-hour EAD Hotline on 1800 675 888 or to your local vet.
Agriculture Victoria is actively working with property owners. The first two infected properties have finished humane destruction of poultry on site. Work is under way at the third and fourth properties.
Cases of humans in direct contact with animals infected with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses are possible. However, the risk to the public is low. Find out more about avian influenza in humans from the BetterHealth Channel.
While H7 viruses are generally thought of as being less dangerous than H5 viruses - and primarily an agricultural concern - that reputation is not entirely warranted.
- In 2003, the Netherlands saw an outbreak of H7N7 that resulted in the loss of 30 million birds across 1,000 farms, and saw scores of mild human infections and the death of a veterinarian (see Eurosurveillance Human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A/H7N7, The Netherlands, 2003).
- Another analysis, performed by the RIVM (Ministry of Health) found the spread of the virus to be much greater than originally reported, citing as many as 1,000 human infections (see Executive summary Avian Flu Epidemic 2003: Public health consequences),
- Smaller H7 outbreaks, including the 2004 H7N3 outbreak in British Columbia, a small number of human infections in Wales in 2007, and 3 mild cases in Italy in 2013 (see ECDC : Human Infection By Avian H7N7 In Italy) were also reported.
- But the 5-year epidemic of H7N9 in China (2013-2018) - which hospitalized more than 1,500 people, killing roughly 40% of them - demonstrate just how formidable an H7 virus could be.
For now, the H7 viruses circulating in Australia show no signs of posing any kind of serious public health threat.
But, as with all influenza viruses with zoonotic potential, things can change over time. Which is why these outbreaks must be quickly contained, before something worse can happen.
