Latest news with #H7N8
The Guardian
21-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Bird flu spreads to third property as farmers warn Australia's egg shortage could be prolonged
A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has been detected at a third property in Victoria, with farmers warning it could exacerbate Australia's egg shortage in coming months. Agriculture Victoria on Thursday said the H7N8 strain of avian influenza had been detected at a third poultry farm at Euroa in Victoria's north-east. Thousands of chickens were euthanised after the outbreak was detected at the first two properties earlier this month. Meg Parkinson, the president of the Victorian Farmers Federation Egg Group, said the latest outbreak would extend the timeframe of supply issues that are being seen at supermarkets and grocery stores across the nation. 'It just means that it'll take longer for the shelves to fill up,' she said. Parksinon said it would take six months for the impact of the latest outbreak to flow through to stock on store shelves. 'It just depends on what happens. Hopefully this will be the end of it, but if there's more [outbreaks] it will take longer,' she said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Purchase limits on eggs remain in place at major supermarkets across Australia due to supply issues caused by the 2024 bird flu outbreak. Victoria's acting chief veterinary officer, Dr Cameron Bell, said, given the close proximity of the infected farms, the latest detection was not unexpected. Agriculture Victoria said its staff were working on the ground with industry to contain and eradicate the virus. The outbreak of H7N8 avian influenza was first detected on 8 February at an egg farm in northern Victoria. It came only weeks after quarantine restrictions were lifted on the last property affected by Victoria's 2024 avian influenza outbreak – Australia's largest on record. An exclusion zone, with a 5km radius around the farms, was established as well as a broader control area. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Since the detection of the latest outbreak, control orders have been in place to restrict the movement of poultry, poultry products and equipment between properties in designated zones to prevent the spread of the disease. A Coles spokesperson said it was closely monitoring the outbreak of avian influenza in Victoria. 'We will continue to work closely with all our suppliers to ensure eggs remain available for our customers,' the spokesperson said. 'To manage availability, we will continue to maintain the purchase limits that have been in place since the first outbreak in Victoria in 2024.' Woolworths has had a two-pack purchase limit on eggs in all stores except Western Australia since mid-last year, due to supply impacts from the 2024 bird flu outbreak. A spokesperson for Woolworths said the higher demand for eggs over Christmas and the new year period put an additional short-term strain on egg availability across all retailers but supply remained stable. 'Our egg supply has continued to improve and we are working closely with our suppliers to source as many eggs as possible.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Another farm infected with bird flu
A third Victorian farm has been infected with bird flu, less than a month after the state government declared the disease eradicated. Announced on Thursday, the third farm is close to two other outbreaks detected earlier in February in the northern town of Euroa. The strain is different to the variant which swept across Victoria, NSW and the ACT in 2024, and different again from a strain wreaking havoc overseas. These infections severely cut the supply of eggs to Australian supermarkets for the second half of 2024. 'A strong biosecurity system relies on everyone playing their part,' Victoria's acting chief veterinary officer Cameron Bell said. Being close to two farms already infected, this third discovery was 'not unexpected', Dr Bell said. Affected farmers were being cooperative and Dr Bell told consumers eggs and poultry products were safe to eat. This strain of bird flu is H7N8 high pathogenicity avian influenza. When the first two H7 infections were found, bird, product, equipment and vehicle restrictions were put in place 5km around the farms. A wider 'control area' spans east of the Goulburn Valley Freeway and includes the townships of Euroa, Violet Town, Longwood, Ruffy, Avenel and Strathbogie. This restriction bans moving of equipment, animals and products too. In 2024, seven southwestern Victorian farms were infected with the H7N3 strain, and one had the H7N9 strain. These infections were eradicated. The likelihood of a person being infected with bird flu in Australia through normal contact with healthy birds is very low. However, humans are susceptible to infection with avian influenza viruses. Natural exposure to some types of bird flu has caused human disease in various forms, ranging from mild or inapparent infection to death. Most of the bird flu viruses circulating in birds do not readily infect humans.
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
There's a new outbreak of bird flu in Australia. Here's what you need to know
A new outbreak of bird flu has been detected in Australia, with authorities confirming an outbreak of H7N8 avian influenza at an egg farm in northern Victoria at the weekend. The detection comes only weeks after quarantine restrictions were lifted on the last property affected by Victoria's 2024 avian influenza outbreak – Australia's largest on record. Increases in egg prices and ongoing shortages have made headlines in both Australia and the US in recent months. In the US, however, the culprit is a different subtype of the virus – H5N1, which has wreaked havoc globally and has experts worried about the potential for another human pandemic. The bird flu outbreak was detected at a poultry farm in Euroa, in north-eastern Victoria. Testing has confirmed it is H7N8, a type of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which means it can cause severe outbreaks of disease with many sick and dead birds. It is different from another H7 strain that affected Victorian poultry farms during 2024's outbreak, which was eradicated. In mid-2024, there were outbreaks of H7 bird flu strains across south-eastern Australia at eight premises in Victoria, six in New South Wales and two in the Australian Capital Territory. Of these, 11 were commercial poultry farms. An estimated 1.8 million birds were culled last year at infected farms, resulting in fewer hens and a drop in egg production. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The NSW and ACT outbreak was also caused by an H7N8 virus, but Agriculture Victoria confirmed the current Victorian outbreak was unrelated to those two. Historically, H7N8 has not been a dominant strain globally, nor is it widely associated with human infection, said Assoc Prof Vinod Balasubramaniam, a molecular virologist at Monash University Malaysia. The source of such outbreaks is usually from migratory birds, he said. 'These avian flus are normally present in the waterfowl population – ducks and geese, that sort of thing,' Dr Jane Younger, a lecturer of Southern Ocean vertebrate ecology at University of Tasmania, said. 'What has happened is these viruses have spread into poultry, mutated into these highly pathogenic forms, and then spread back out into wild populations.' In the US, a bird flu outbreak has ravaged poultry flocks since October, driving the price of eggs up. Since January, about 14.7 million egg-producing chickens have been affected in the US, exceeding the total numbers of hens affected in all of 2023. But the culprit there is a different subtype, H5N1, which has been in the US for years and has caused outbreaks globally since 2021. A particular group of H5N1 viruses, known as clade 2.3.4.4b, has decimated wild bird populations in the UK, across Europe, South Africa and the Americas, killing tens of millions of birds. It has also killed tens of thousands of seals and sea lions, and has infected at least 48 mammal species. 'Australia at the moment is the only continent that is free of that particular strain,' Younger said. H5N1 was detected in Antarctica for the first time in 2023 and can be spread across thousands of kilometres by migratory birds. 'None of us know if or when it will reach Australia,' Younger added, calling it 'definitely something we need to prepare for'. To date, H5N1 has mostly affected the agricultural sector and wildlife. But its ability to infect humans has virologists worried. The US has recorded 67 human infections since 2024, while Australia has reported a single case, in a child returning from India last May. Research, however, suggests that many human cases go undetected. Though no clear human-to-human transmission of H5N1 has been documented yet, scientists are on high alert. In the last year, H5N1 has jumped to other domesticated species in the US, including cows, goats, pigs and cats. 'We know that it's highly pathogenic in nature, it's highly evolving,' Balasubramaniam said of H5N1 2.3.4.4b. 'I think it is the dominant strain of global concern.' Unprecedented spread, infections in mammals and new genetic changes need immediate scientific and policy attention, he said. 'It ticks all the boxes for the virus to have pandemic potential,' Balasubramaniam said. 'The only thing it lacks is the mutation which enables it to be airborne and to be transmitted human to human.' In October, the Australian government announced it would invest $100m to strengthen surveillance and biosecurity responses against H5N1.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Blow to Aus as new bird flu outbreak found
Just days after declaring Australia free of bird flu, a new outbreak has been detected at a poultry farm in Victoria. The Victorian Department of Agriculture announced the outbreak on February 8, revealing cases of high pathogenicity H7N8 had been confirmed in the north of the state. The strain is different from those that impacted Victorian poultry farms last year, and different to the H5N1 strain wreaking havoc in the US and other parts of the world. A control order restricting an area about 5km around the impacted property has been established, as well as a control area in the in the eastern portion of the Strathbogie Shire to help prevent the virus spreading. Just days earlier, on February 6, the federal government had told the World Organisation for Animal Health the nation was free from H7 avian influenza, declaring the strain 'eradicated' following outbreaks in Victoria, NSW and the ACT. In a statement, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said there had been no new detections since July 2024, following what had been Australia's 'most significant avian disease incident to date'. 'Reclaiming Australia's freedom from HPAI is an important avenue to engage trading partners on the full resumption of trade where restrictions may remain in place due to last year's outbreaks,' the statement read. Victoria's Acting Chief Veterinarian Cameron Bell said the affected poultry farm had acted swiftly once it suspected the disease had infected its flock. 'Avian influenza is commonly spread by wild birds, and unfortunately, despite the business having excellent biosecurity controls in place, poultry have been infected,' he said. 'The business has acted quickly to identify the infection within the flock and are working closely with Agriculture Victoria officers to contain the outbreak.' While cases of bird flu in humans who come into direct contact with an infected animal, the risk to the public is low, the Victorian Department of Agriculture said. Eggs and poultry products available in supermarkets are safe to consume. However, prices are expected to remain high, with the 2024 outbreak decimating supply as thousands of farmed birds were put down in a bid to rid properties of the disease. Authorities confirmed in late January a combination of high-seasonal demand, bird flu and industry guidelines had contributed to a national egg shortage.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bird flu case detected in Victoria's north
Australia's recent declaration of being bird flu-free has proved short-lived, with the Victorian Agriculture Department announcing an outbreak at a farm in the state's north. The Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness conducted testing at Geelong confirming a H7N8 strain, which is different to the strain that hit Victorian poultry farms last year. The property has been placed in quarantine and arrangements made to ensure the disease does not spread from the Strathbogie Shire in Victoria's north-east, the department said. On Thursday, the federal government announced Australia was officially bird flu-free after there had been no detections of H7 avian influenza since July. More than 1.8 million birds were killed in a quest to rid the nation of the disease after Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT experienced outbreaks. On Sunday morning Victoria's chief vet will hold a press conference in Bendigo about the detection. The Victorian Agriculture Department warned people should contact a 24-hour hotline, on 1800 675 888, or their local vet if they have any suspicions about possible bird flu cases. "Consumers should not be concerned about eggs and poultry products from the supermarkets, they do not pose a risk and are safe to consume," the department said. ❌ Never enter paddocks and touch or feed livestock you don't own🚘 Report your arrival and don't park near animals🧼 Wash your hands and footwear before and after a farm visit🔺 Always follow the directions of property owners — Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (@DAFFgov) January 24, 2025 Cases among humans in direct contact with animals infected with avian influenza viruses are possible, the department noted. But it said the risk to the public remains low. Last year, Victoria experienced Australia's largest avian influenza outbreak on record. Between late May and late June, eight properties tested positive for H7N3 and H7N9 avian influenza in south-west Victoria. There was cautious relief last week from egg farmers nationally that they can start to rebuild a devastated industry. Production was expected to return to normal levels in spring, depending on further outbreaks. Egg prices aren't expected to drop, with the industry expected to pay 20 per cent of the clean-up, forcing farmers to pass on costs to consumers. Over the past five decades, Australia has successfully contained and eradicated H7 bird flu multiple times, But there are fears the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, which has devastated animal populations overseas, could find its way to Australian shores via the migration patterns of wild birds. The federal government is investing more than $100 million to bolster national preparedness. Avian influenza, commonly known as "bird flu", is a highly contagious virus that can cause sudden death in poultry. The World Health Organisation says the deadly H5N1 strain rarely affects humans and is not easily transferred between people.
