Northern Territory veterinary and wildlife authorities say it is inevitable that H5N1 bird flu will reach the territory, nearly two months after the disease was first detected in Australia. The virus, first identified in Western Australia in late June, has now been confirmed in all six Australian states, prompting bird vaccination programs in some of them.
NT authorities say H5N1 bird flu arrival is inevitable as virus reaches all six Australian states
Northern Territory veterinary and wildlife authorities say it is inevitable that H5N1 bird flu will reach the territory, nearly two months after the disease was first detected in Australia. The virus, first identified in Western Australia in late June, has now been confirmed in all six Australian states, prompting bird vaccination programs in some of them.
Tony Griffiths, Senior Director of Species Management at the NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment, said the disease's arrival in the territory was a matter of timing, not probability. 'It could be weeks, it could be months, but it's a national event, it's the biggest national disease event that has ever occurred in Australia for wildlife,' he said.
The NT is home to 450 species of bird, 37 of which are listed as threatened. Griffiths said vaccination of native species was not being planned, because the threatened birds are dispersed across very large areas and are difficult to catch. The territory does not rely on captive breeding programs to manage those species, he said.
The NT's Chief Veterinary Officer Sue Fitzpatrick said the threat extended beyond wild birds. She urged backyard poultry owners — the territory has no commercial poultry industry — to enclose their runs, add roofing, and protect feed and water sources from wild birds.
The response plan centres on large-scale surveying of known bird aggregation sites such as the Top End coastline and Barkly Lakes. Experts have been sampling faeces and water supplies to detect contamination, Griffiths said.
- The source does not state how many backyard poultry owners are registered or estimated to be operating in the NT.
- The source does not specify which six states have confirmed cases beyond naming Western Australia as the first.
- The source does not detail which states have introduced bird vaccination programs or what species those programs cover.
- The source does not state whether any human cases of H5N1 have been recorded in Australia.
- The source does not describe what actions birdwatchers are specifically asked to take beyond visual monitoring and reporting.
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