Since May, a number of poultry farms around Australia have faced outbreaks of avian influenza , or bird flu. These outbreaks have been devastating for the poultry farms affected, necessitating large-scale culls, and have caused knock-on effects for the country’s egg supplies . The poultry farm outbreaks have been linked to bird flu strains beginning with H7 (such as H7N3 and H7N8).
But the strain causing most concern at present is arguably a different strain – H5N1. This strain is spreading rapidly around the world, and can cause more serious illness and death in poultry, birds and mammals. Experts are warning H5N1 could soon reach Australia.
And while bird flu isn’t currently spreading between humans, this could change in the future. So where are we at with vaccines for bird flu? H5N1 first emerged in southern China in 1996 . Strains like H5N1 are further broken down into variants called clades.
Since emerging in 2020 , clade 2.3.4.
4b has spread around the world, giving experts cause for concern. Recently, it has been causing outbreaks not only in wild birds and poultry, but also in dairy cows, notably in the United States . While H5N1 is yet to be detected in birds or other wildlife in Australia, as it continues to spread in other regions, there are concerns we’re likely to see it here soon .
CSIRO experts have this week warned the risk of H5N1 being imported is higher this year compared with previous years. Fortunately, cases in humans remain rare. Five human cases.
