As Australia recovers from its most significant avian disease incident in 50 years, attention has turned towards preparing for the next possible avian influenza outbreak – a more virulent strain that has caused deaths in poultry and wild birds and mammals across the globe.
The recent H7 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory has shown Australia's national response arrangements are effective in containing and eradicating the disease in poultry. With no new outbreaks of H7 HPAI since July 2024, Australia has successfully eradicated outbreaks 9 times since 1976.
HPAI can also pose a threat to human health. Health experts including those at the interim Australian Centre for Disease Control take a One Health approach to protecting Australians. One Health places human health within the world around us, including environment and agricultural health.
Australia the only continent currently free of the new strain, H5 HPAI. Vigilance will be key to monitoring and understanding the spread of H5 HPAI if it were to arrive on our shores.
There is a great deal of preparedness and response readiness work underway – and this builds on long standing surveillance and biosecurity planning arrangements.
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