Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Australian authorities on September 4 reported the first confirmed case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in Sydney.
Tara Moriarty, the agriculture minister in New South Wales (NSW), told reporters that testing detected the H5N1 strain in a greater crested tern found in Sydney’s Northern Beaches in late August.
It represents the first confirmed case in Sydney after the highly pathogenic strain reached the Australian mainland in June.
Moriarty said Sydney residents with pet birds or chickens should take precautions to avoid interacting with wild birds, and people with dogs should ensure they don’t eat carcasses or chase wild birds.
The local mayor for the Northern Beaches, Sue Heins, said that the case will likely be the first of many and the region should brace for the “potentially devastating impacts” of the highly pathogenic strain, which has caused the deaths of millions of birds worldwide.
According to the latest data from the federal government, as of Wednesday, there have been 468 confirmed events of H5N1 bird flu across Australia, 20 of which have been in NSW, Xinhua news agency reported.
The NSW government said there have been no detections in commercial poultry flocks, captive birds or livestock in the state.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), H5N1 is one of several influenza viruses that causes a highly infectious respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza (or “bird flu”). Infections in mammals, including humans, have also been documented.
