Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has been detected at an egg farm in Victoria, Australia. This is the first time the virus has been found in the country in four years. The discovery is part of a growing global concern about the spread of this virus.
Authorities are investigating the deaths of several poultry birds in Meredith, a town south of Ballarat. Agriculture Victoria confirmed that initial tests show the presence of bird flu and are now checking if it is the highly dangerous H5N1 strain. This strain has already spread to every other continent, including Antarctica.
Dr. Graeme Cooke, Victoria’s chief veterinary officer, stated that Agriculture Victoria is working on the ground to support the farm and conduct further tests. He also encouraged poultry farmers, backyard flock owners, and bird enthusiasts to report any unexplained bird deaths.
Australia is currently free of all high-pathogenicity strains of avian influenza, known as HPAI. The last detection of bird flu in the country was in 2020 at another egg farm south of Ballarat, which led to tens of thousands of birds being euthanized.
The current global outbreak of bird flu has killed millions of birds and thousands of mammals, severely impacting commercial bird populations. There has also been a case of the virus spreading to humans, with one reported incident in Texas involving a man who had contact with dairy cows.
