Bird Flu on our doorstep

For the past three years the deadly Bird Flu has continued to spread throughout our region, and while there is no immediate cause for concern, Australia remains uneasy over the fatal outbreak.

Since 2003 the lethal strain of bird flu has infected at least 229 people and killed 131 in 10 countries. More than 200 million domestic chickens have died from the disease or been culled to slow its fatal spread, devastating the poultry industry in Asia and Europe.

Australia is working to provide support and technical expertise to countries such as Indonesia to combat recent outbreaks. Since 2003, the Australian Government has provided $599 million for quarantine, research and emergency planning for a pandemic.

The lethal strain of bird flu H5N1 was discovered in Hong Kong in 1997. It caused poultry outbreaks and led to infections in 18 people and 6 deaths. A slightly altered strain broke out in Vietnam in 2003 and spread throughout Asia in 2004. In the past six months, it has moved across the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Australia, New Zealand, the Americas and the Caribbean remain virus-free.

Human cases have almost all been in people who had close contact with infected poultry, usually from their own farms.

Remember: There has been no evidence of effective human-to-human spread of H5N1 infection. There is no evidence that a new influenza pandemic is starting.

Source: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_07_04/en/index.html
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-avian_influenza-index.htm