Federal, state and local governments, the poultry industry and wildlife stakeholders have been working together to prepare for and reduce the likely impact of H5 avian influenza if it arrives in Australia.
Plans developed include the implementation of pre-agreed response strategies and funding agreements to support the poultry industry and ensure the continuing supply of safe chicken meat and eggs to the Australian public.
Nationally, the Department of Environment is considering iconic, threatened and endangered species and where possible, putting contingency plans in place. While it is not possible to prevent wild birds moving, minimising stress on diseased colonies and reducing human-assisted spread will be important.
The vaccination strategy is also under national review, and the AUSVETPlan manual for responding to avian influenza in poultry is being updated.
Other national preparedness activities include Exercise Volare, which took stakeholders through a hypothetical scenario and applied a whole of government one health approach.
Surveillance with the aim of detecting H5 avian influenza early has increased, with the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird (NAIWB) surveillance program undertaking targeted and passive surveillance across Australia.
Read more about national preparedness activities on the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website.
In Western Australia, under the Emergency Management Act 2005, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is the hazard management agency for animal disease emergencies.
As prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities for animal hazards are a whole of government responsibility, a working group has been set up with representation from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Department of Local Government Sport and Culture, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and Department of Health to consider roles and responsibilities in preparing for and responding to H5 avian influenza in wildlife.
What will the response look like?
The response to H5 avian influenza in wild birds will look different to the activities carried out in commercial poultry responses. If H5 avian influenza is detected in wild birds in Australia and spreads, overseas experience has shown it will not be possible to eradicate the disease from wild birds and management options will be limited. There has been little success in treating infected birds, and limiting the movement or culling of wild birds would not be practical or appropriate in an H5 avian influenza outbreak in wild birds.
The response will focus on strengthening biosecurity measures for affected wildlife, enhancing disease surveillance and ensuring human health risk is managed.
Examples of strengthened biosecurity measures include access restrictions for important breeding colonies and nesting grounds of iconic species to minimise the risk of people contributing to the spread of avian influenza. Housing orders for captive birds and poultry (orders to keep birds inside away from wild birds) may also be issued to reduce the potential for further spread.
In cases where H5 avian influenza is detected in valuable or vulnerable species, risk assessment will guide the management strategies to be used.
