Australian Outbreak of Avian Flu Eradicated: Restrictions Lifted Following Culling of 320,000 Animals
As of Jan. 24, restrictions on bird movement, objects, and equipment will be lifted.
All restrictions on poultry and egg producers have been lifted following the eradication of a regional avian influenza outbreak.
The Hawkesbury outbreak in New South Wales, which saw over 320,000 animals destroyed since June 2024, has been effectively controlled.
The outbreak strain was identified at two commercial poultry farms and four other locations, but no new cases have been reported since July 2024.
Starting Jan. 24, restrictions on bird, object, and equipment movements will cease, and emergency zones will be removed.
“The NSW Government, in collaboration with industry, farmers, and the community, has worked tirelessly to eliminate this outbreak and the virus,” stated NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty.
A total of 6,801 samples were tested during the outbreak, with 76,000 messages sent to property owners and 288 individuals involved in the response efforts.
The H7N8 strain was found in NSW, with a single case detected in the ACT at a property connected to one of the affected NSW sites.
This strain was not linked to a previous outbreak in Victoria that resulted in the culling of around one million birds.
Australia has not seen cases of the H5N1 strain that has caused widespread devastation in animal populations worldwide.
Australia remains the sole continent free of this highly pathogenic strain that has caused significant outbreaks in the wild, as well as in poultry and dairy farms.
According to the World Health Organization, H5N1 rarely affects humans and is not easily transmissible between people.
