In Australia, a highly contagious strain of bird flu is causing concern. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins confirmed on Wednesday (July 29) that the H5 strain of the disease was spreading locally in South Australia among birds, particularly in colonies of crested terns.
Nationally, 27 confirmed cases have been recorded since the H5 strain was first identified in the country in June. Several suspected cases have also been reported.
In recent days, the Australian government has suspended guided tours to the beaches of Kangaroo Island, a popular tourist destination in the south of the country, after the identification of four suspected cases of H5 bird flu. The authorities are thus trying to limit the spread of the H5 strain which could affect populations of birds, but also mammals such as sea lions.
The spread of this deadly disease raises fears of a worsening risk of extinction already facing Australian wildlife, made up of many unique species in the world.
Virus mortar
Also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, the H5 strain emerged in Asia before spreading to Europe, North and South America, Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands starting in 2021.
This deadly virus spreads through the movements of wild birds, but can also affect other species. “To date, millions of wildlife have died around the world due to H5 avian influenza, and more than 600 species of birds and more than 100 species of mammals have been affected,” Wildlife Health Australia says on its website.
Few human contaminations
Birds and mammals can contract H5 avian influenza through close contact with an infected individual, by consuming carrion or by exposure to a contaminated environment, particularly through the droppings of infected birds or the corpses of sick animals.
Even though the H5 strain can also contaminate humans, this phenomenon remains rare. Since 2003, the World Health Organization has recorded a thousand infections with this strain in humans, 479 of which have been fatal. Most of them were people who had close contact with contaminated animals. Experts fear, however, that high circulation could facilitate a mutation of the virus which would allow it to pass from one human to another.
