Birdlife Australia has published information about avian influenza which may arrive in our country soon.
Avian Influenza, or bird flu, is an infectious disease of birds caused by strains of Influenza A virus. It affects poultry and wild birds and can be spread to mammals including humans. The H5N1 strain is a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) being closely monitored by Australian authorities due to the potential risk of spread to Australia.
Large-scale outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the past two years have killed millions of wild birds and tens of thousands of mammals around the world. H5N1 bird flu has spread to all continents apart from Australia and experts predict it could arrive here with the spring migration of shorebirds and seabirds from the Northern Hemisphere.
An outbreak of H5N1 in Australian birds, including Ospreys, could be catastrophic.
BirdLife Australia is sharing extensive data and expertise with government and wildlife health authorities to assist their preparedness and planning. This includes data-driven assessments of threat pathways and points of sensitivity for threatened birds, supported by the data collated in Birdata. We are keeping project teams and volunteers on the ground informed to boost surveillance of wild bird populations.
