Insights from our bird flu webinar

Thank you to the 1500 people who attended our webinar about the new strain of bird flu - highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 - and the risks to Australian wildlife.

You can now watch a recording of the webinar. In the recording:

• Dr Michelle Wille from the University of Melbourne explains what H5N1 avian influenza is and how it is different to other strains of bird flu, the impacts of H5N1 on wildlife globally, how H5N1 is spreading, and the potential major impacts for Australian wildlife,

• Dr Fiona Fraser from the Australian Government provides an overview of how the nation is preparing and the response plans for native wildlife beyond surveillance,

• Dr Simone Vitali from Wildlife Health Australia show us what everyone should be looking out for and how to respond,
• And our experts respond to questions from the audience.

Since 2021, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4 b) has caused significant illness and deaths in poultry and wild birds and mammals overseas.

Australia is the only continent at present that does not have HPAI H5N1 avian influenza. However, scientists are concerned that the virus could arrive here when birds migrate back to Australia in spring.

A key message from the webinar was that everyone can help prepare for the arrival of HPAI H5N1, especially with early detection and surveillance.

“The more we can do now to understand the disease and organise ourselves locally, the softer the landing will be for our precious wildlife,” advised Dr Simone Vitali.

During the webinar the audience submitted over 100 questions. You can read the answers to the most commonly asked questions below. Scroll through to find specific advice on how you can help – whether you’re a concerned citizen, veterinarian, wildlife manager, policy maker, wildlife rescuer or carer.

Q&A

About the disease

Q1. What are the early warning signs of H5N1 bird flu in birds and wildlife?

A: Watch Dr Simone Vitali’s presentation (starts at minute 27 in the webinar recording) for a good overview of signs of H5N1 bird flu in birds and wildlife. Her presentation includes short videos that demonstrate what the signs look like. You can also find videos and the key disease signs on Dr. Michelle Wille’s website.

A critical early warning sign is a cluster of dead birds. Other clinical signs include:

• Neurological signs such as loss of coordination and balance, trembling head and body, or twisting of the neck
• Lethargy and depression, unresponsiveness, lying down, drooping wings, dragging legs
• Closed and excessively watery eyes, possibly with opaque cornea or darkened iris (new sign associated with Gannets in current outbreak)
• Respiratory distress such as gaping (mouth breathing), nasal snicking (coughing sound), sneezing, gurgling, or rattling

Q2. What would a H5N1 bird flu outbreak look like in Australia?

A: An outbreak would result in lots of dead birds in a short time frame. The virus is going to do the same here that it's done everywhere else. It's going to rock up, and it's going to cause massive, widespread deaths, with very, very large outbreaks and lots and lots of dead animals on the landscape, so it could arrive and get into a population or a location where there's lots of water birds and potentially kill up to 60% of the birds there. There’s no way to know for sure, but if we look at what's happened elsewhere in the world, I think catastrophic is the only thing to say.

Q3. Can animals recover from H5N1 bird flu?

A: The impact of this virus for most bird species is very high, with poor prognosis for infected birds. In Sandwich Terns, almost 100% of infected chicks in Europe died in 2022, and ~16% of adults died. Despite this, we do know that some birds survive the infection. For example, in the UK, a study found that Northern Gannets that survived the infection had black irises, making it easier to measure survival rates in this species.

Ducks appear to be an interesting outlier as many individuals have little to no disease signs and therefore survive the infections (although there is some heterogeneity depending on which genotype of HPAI H5N1 they are infected with). For example, studies using GPS trackers have shown that infected Mallards seem to have “normal” movements compared to uninfected Mallards. In experimental infections, ~60% of Mallards didn’t even have disease signs despite being infected.

Q4. Once an animal has been infected, how long does it take for the disease to cause death?

A: After disease signs appear the progression to death is very fast. Animals die in hours to days.

Q5. What proportion of an infected wildlife population will die from the disease?

A: This is highly dependant on the species, the year, the age of the animals, and the exact genetic make-up of the virus causing infection. In most seabirds in Europe/North America, huge proportions of seabirds have been impacted;16% of adult Sandwich Terns died across Europe in 2022, and almost 100% of chicks died. In 2023 there was little to no impact on this species. In a recent study in eastern Canada, it was shown that almost 100% of tested ducks had antibodies against HPAI suggesting ~100% of the duck population were infected. But, based on infection studies, we know that Mallards in particular will have little to no disease signs - in fact about 60% of Mallards infected with HPAI H5N1 didnt even get sick and none died.

So, the answer is “it depends”.

What animals are at risk

Q6. What animals are already affected by H5N1?

A: To date – over 350 bird species and more than 56 mammal species have been affected by H5N1 bird flu. You can view the international list here. You can also learn more about specific outbreaks here and an overview of infections is also available here.

Q7. What animals are at risk in Australia?

A: The virus affects wild birds and domestic birds and mammals.

All avian groups associated with water are highly susceptible. This includes ducks, geese, swans, gulls, terns, shorebirds, seabirds, pelicans, herons, ibis, cormorants and penguins. Predatory or scavenging birds, such as eagles and hawks, are also highly susceptible due to the high likeliness that they would consume infected animals.

Mammals are also at risk. Most affected mammals have been scavenging species which are eating carcasses of infected animals. These range from polar bears, to foxes, to minks, cats, etc. The exception here are marine mammals, particularly seals and sea lions, in which the virus is having a large impact.

Webinar attendees were curious about the range of animals H5N1 could affect in Australia. H5N1 only affects birds and mammals, it does not affect reptiles, crustaceans or insects which were also asked about. Overseas, european foxes and feral pigs that scavenge and eat infected matter are susceptible to H5N1. Farmed emus have been affected by other bird flu strains, but it is unknown whether it can affect wild emus.

Q8. Can H5N1 affect pet dogs?

A: Yes! But only if they are eating infected dead birds or contaminated dog food in the area. The best way to protect your dog is to keep it safely contained at home. If you take your dog out make sure you keep it on a leash and keep it away from wild animals. Prevent your pet from licking, chewing, eating or playing with foreign materials.

Q9. Can H5N1 affect pet cats?

A: Yes! House and free-roaming cats have been affected. Cats get very sick and die. The best way to protect your cat is to keep it safely contained at home. H5N1 can spread through contact with dead or sick wild birds, droppings, feathers and contaminated water. Cats have also been infected by eating “contaminated” pet food, and in the USA, cats living in dairy barns are being infected by infected milk. Read more information here.

Q10. Can H5N1 spread to humans?

A: The virus is zoonotic which means it can spread to humans, but despite the enormous number of infections there have been VERY FEW infections in humans. Currently, H5N1 cases in humans are limited to those who work with infected poultry, have infected backyard poultry, work or visit live bird markets (or dairy workers in the USA). You can read more on the World Health Organisation’s website. A recent risk assessment from the Quadrapartite confirms that the risk of HPAI H5N1 infection for the general public is low, but for occupationally exposed people is low to medium, but with high uncertainty.

Q11. Is there risk to captive mammals (zoos) who consume food shared with wild birds or may consume food that is contaminated with wild birds faeces?

A: Yes, absolutely! We have seen outbreaks in farmed foxes, farmed mink, cats, and historically (in 2005), a number of zoo animals were affected.

Q12. Do we know why aquatic birds are more susceptible to H5N1? Is it a result of something to do with aquatic bird physiology/immunological defences or because they're at the forefront of transmission pathways?

A: There are a number of different reasons specific to different bird groups. Water is an important conduit for virus spread. Also, many seabirds live in large gregarious colonies. Many of these waterbirds seem to be important reservoirs for low pathogenic virus strains, and there seems to be a strong overlap in species affected by low pathogenic and those affected by the current high pathogenic strain H5N1.

Q13. Has there been work around potential impacts on passerines in urban areas utilising concentrated water sources and artificial feeding?

A: Passerines are not highly affected by this virus nor do they play a large role in virus spread with one exception - those species that live in poultry barns (sparrows, starlings) which are infected by the poultry in the barn.

Q14. Small mammal species have been affected overseas (eg door mice, voles). Many of our endangered marsupials (eg devils, antechinus) eat sea bird carcasses if available, while endangered rodents (eg pookilas, broad-toothed rats) live around beaches and wetlands. What are the risks to such species and how do we best protect them in an outbreak?

A: Its probably best for us to anticipate that any mammal (including marsupials) that scavenge infected carcasses will be susceptible to disease. To try to mitigate the risks, carcass removal maybe considered, however this is labour intensive, and a disposal plan must be in place. Our colleagues overseas are trialling "carcass removal” to help mitigate outbreak size, but also to limit infection in the predators and scavengers. Something to consider. It is also important for us to be testing these animals to understand whether they are being impacted.

Spread and arrival

Q15. Where would you expect H5N1 to first show up in Australia?

A: We don't know exactly where this virus will land first. It will very much depend on the route of entry with which birds it has arrived. We speculate the most likely 1st landing place is probably the northern parts of Australia if it comes in with shorebirds, but they could also land in the south. Everyone should be vigilant and ready.

Q16. Is it mostly long-distance migratory birds (shorebirds, seabirds) that are the risk to Australia, or might shorter-distance waterbirds such as herons etc "walk" infections across SE Asia?

A: We believe the highest risk is from long-distance shorebirds migrating during spring via the East Asian Australasian flyway. However, we have identified a second route of virus arrival, which is sort of like that walking across idea. This route is a lower risk with lower likelihood, at least as long as the virus remains to the west of the Wallace Line. Unfortunately, Indonesia does not report data to World Organisation for Animal Health which tracks disease spread, so we are “flying blind” a bit with regards to this route. You can read more about potential paths and the likelihoods of these here.

Q17. Is there a high risk of the virus arriving on other migratory bird species such as koels and cuckoos?

A. In general, songbirds are not highly impacted by this virus and don’t really act as vectors (the only exception being species that live in poultry houses). It is unlikely that koels and cuckoos will play a role as they occupy a similar niche to songbirds and will unlikely be exposed to these viruses. Bird species associated with water (shorebirds, seabirds, waterbirds, waterfowl) are part of the core host range that are likely to spread the virus.

Q18. Does our monitoring of bird viruses need to also include low pathogenic ones, as well as the high pathogenic ones?

A: Overall, high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) does not exist in a bubble, and here in Australia, the most recent HPAI outbreaks in poultry are linked to low pathogenic avian influenza viruses found in wild birds jumping into poultry. So it is really important to monitor the system holistically.

We have a national program, called the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird Steering Group (NAIWB) which monitors for ALL avian influenza viruses - both low and high path. Michelle Ville and her team has been doing lots of work on low pathogenic bird flu strains. You can find out more about their research on LPAI here.

Q19. Understandably, focus seems to be on responding to H5N1 reaching Australia. Is there a risk of overlooking mutations of low-pathogenic strains already in Australia into more highly-pathogenic and lethal strain if available resources are focused on H5N1?

A: In Australia we monitor for both low and high path viruses, and have been doing so for decades.

We have a national program, called the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird Steering Group (NAIWB) which monitors for ALL avian influenza viruses - both low and high pathogenic. Michelle Wille’s research program has been doing lots of work on low pathogenic bird flu strains. You can find out more about our research on low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) here.

How you can help

Q20. What can I do now to help?

A: H5N1 hasn’t been detected in Australia yet so it is an important time to prepare for the anticipated of arrival of H5N1 and help with early detection. We recommend the following:

1. Get informed: > Bookmark key websites > Stay updated on new developments > Undertake the free ‘Emergency animal disease’ training
2. Plan and prepare: > Read the relevant advice for H5N1 and use available resources to undertake a risk assessment and prepare a management plan
3. Keep an eye out: > Know the clinical signs > Report unusual mortality of illness to the Emergency Animal Disease hotline (save 1800 675 888 to your speed dial!)

The Australian Government's North Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) have made a great video that we suggest you view:

Q21. How can I help monitor for H5N1 bird flu?

A: We need everyone’s help keeping an eye out! If you are out in nature and see dead or sick wild birds, it’s really important to report it via the Emergency Animal Disease hotline on 1800 675 888.

Q22. What should I do if I see an animal I suspect is infected with H5N1 bird flu?

A: Avoid, record and report. If you see an animal you suspect is infected with H5N1 bird flu please call the Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) hotline on 1800 675 888. The EAD is 24-hour national hotline. Read Wildlife Health Australia’s full advice for people who encounter sick or dead wild birds.

Q23. How do I distinguish H5N1 bird flu from other diseases?

A: If in doubt, report it to the Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) hotline on 1800 675 888. The signs of H5N1 can be similar to other diseases, so the best thing to do is report it to the EAD who will be able to assess the information you have given them.

If you observe any of the following, you should report it to the EAD:

• Death in clusters of 5 or more of any bird species
• Death of any number of susceptible bird species (seabirds, waterbirds, shorebirds or birds of prey)
• Any species (bird or mammal) with signs of avian influenza. Watch Dr Simone Vitali’s presentation (starts at minute 27) to learn more or read a list of clinical signs here.

Q24. What happens once the reports go to (Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) hotline? Who responds?

A: The EAD will connect you to the relevant state or territory animal health authority, who will provide you with specific advice for your state.

Advice for wildlife carers

Q25. Can you point us to national protocols for wildlife rescuers/carers who encounter suspected H5N1?

A: Wildlife Health Australia (WHA) has prepared a risk mitigation toolbox for wildlife care providers. You can find the toolbox for wildlife care providers here. You can watch a video which explains the toolbox and how to use it here.

Q26. Is there any treatment carers can provide?

A: No, there is no effective treatment for HPAI H5N1 in animals. There are a very small handful of animal cases which have recovered from mild disease with supportive care but treatment needs to be carefully balanced against the overall welfare of the animal and use of resources. Overwhelmingly, the role of rehabilitators overseas has been related to providing early euthanasia.

Q27. We will have significant interaction with the public when this happens and a need for public education from our call takers. How should I respond to calls from the community?

A: H5N1 has not yet arrived in Australia. At this stage you should advise community callers to Avoid, Record and Report.

If you would like more information about how to communicate with the public about H5N1 bird flu, read Wildlife Health Australia’s communication guide for managers of wildlife populations.

Q28. Can wildlife rescuers catch it from wild birds that we rescue?

A: H5N1 bird flu is a zoonotic disease which means it can be transferred to humans by wild birds. If you suspect a bird or mammal has H5N1 bird flu, do not touch the animal and leave it where it is. Instead, phone the Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) hotline on 1800 675 888 who will advise you further. There is no effective treatment for H5N1 and animals should not be brought into care.

Advice for veterinarians

Q29. What can I do as a veterinarian?

A. Wildlife Health Australia (WHA) have prepared specific advice for veterinarians and animal health professionals. You can read Wildlife Health Australia’s advice for veterinarians here.

Q30. From a vet clinic perspective… if injured wildlife is brought in, showing neurological symptoms, resp distress etc (and is on the susceptible list) .. do we look into trying to rule it out or euthanasia is recommended? Are there in-house tests we can run to make that call?

A: If you suspect an animal has H5N1 bird flu call the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease hotline on free call 1800 675 888. Reporting will alert authorities to the event so they can evaluate the need for diagnostic testing or other investigation. If sample collection is required, you will be advised on appropriate collection and laboratory submission protocols. You can read the full advice for veterinarians and animal health professionals here.

Advice for wildlife managers

Q31. What are some of the options available to land managers and governments for reducing the impact if H5N1 shows up?

A: We’re encouraging all wildlife managers to undertake a risk assessment and develop a response plan so that they are ready for when they arrive. You can view Wildlife Health Australia’s toolkit for land managers, including templates, here.

During the webinar, Dr Simone Vitali explained “There's a whole lot of things that we need to think about, specific to what the population we're dealing with, and the risk mitigation toolboxes work you through that process. What we're encouraging wildlife managers to do is look at their population, understand the likely risks of avian influenza coming, what the pathways are, and how it would again go out as well. So things like looking at your basic biosecurity and what do we do normally to stop diseases coming into our wild population. Do we need to tighten that up? Who are the people moving in and out of this population? Are there ways that we can mitigate the risk of them bringing it in depending on where we think they would bring it in from. We know that once it gets in, it's going to spread very rapidly between animals that are susceptible to H5N1. Where are we likely to see those risks? We know that in susceptible species we're going to see a lot of animals die. What are the risks to our population if we leave those animals there? Is it in the interests of that population to clean up carcasses? In some instances that has been a helpful thing, but it's not going to be the right answer in all situations. So we need to weigh up the benefit, feasibility, human safety and what it would mean for that wild populations.”

Advice for local governments

Q32. Have any resources or procedures specific to Local Government been developed yet?

A. Local governments have an important role to play in surveillance and educating the local community about what to look out for, and how to respond.

The following resources are relevant for local government staff that manage green spaces, wildlife populations and community engagement:

• Risk mitigation toolbox for wildlife managers
• Communications guide for managers of wild animal populations
• Advice for people who encounter sick or dead wild birds.

You can find a full list of resources on Wildlife Health Australia’s incidents page.

Management response and options

Q33. How are First Nations being included in these efforts to detect and manage/mitigate impacts?

A: The Australian Government have a special unit set up to keep a watch for exotic diseases in Northern Australia. This unit is called NAQS – Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy. Through NAQs the Australian Government has engaged with Indigenous rangers along the top end to help with monitoring. The rangers are trained about the diseases they need to keep watch out for in these areas, and report to the government about any strange sickness in animals and plants. See more about this on their website.

Q34. Is it possible to vaccinate birds?

A: No. Currently vaccination against HPAI H5N1 is not approved in Australia, and the only available HPAI H5 vaccine licensed in Australia is not a good match for HPAI H5N1. It is likely that high level discussions, risk assessments, evaluations and approvals will need to be put in place before we can even consider this as a response tool.

Globally, some countries vaccinate poultry, but most do not due to the implications of vaccinating birds - there are large trade barriers if poultry have been vaccinated.

Large scale vaccination of wildlife is not feasible, and in general, vaccines are not tailored to nor tested in wildlife species. The efficacy of any vaccine will likely be quite species-specific, so testing will be important.

In some instances, vaccination of wildlife makes sense. For example, following HPAI detections in dead California Condors, a species brought back from the brink of extinction, vaccines trials were conducted in black vultures, and vaccines have since been rolled out in Condors. Vaccine trials are underway to try to save the African Penguins, which are endangered species . New Zealand is also rolling out vaccines for a number of their highly managed bird species which are of great conservation concern.

Q35. How can I protect my aviary birds? Can AI spread from wild birds to captive birds in enclosures, separated by mesh?

A: To prevent bird flu reaching your birds you will need to ensure your animals do not come in contact with infectious birds or contaminated materials. View the Australian Government guidelines for protecting your domestic birds from H5N1.

Q36. What financial resources will the governments dedicate to this or will it be relying still on volunteer organisations?

A: Some of the funding has already been publicly announced. The government have made $7 million available recently for national H5N1 preparation. View the press release here. During the webinar, Dr Brant Smith, the Australian Governments First Assistant Secretary and National Animal Disease Preparedness Coordinator said “But ultimately we need to do more in this space, and the reality is that this is an unprecedented situation for us, so we are certainly working closely with out agencies to see what else can be done. So I would say, watch this space.”

We have the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird (NAIWB) steering group in place, which is a nationally coordinated program including state and territory government as well as university surveillance, and dedicated funding has been made available for additional surveillance work this spring.

Q37. What do we know about how long the virus survives and in what conditions? since carcass clean up isn't going to be a core response..../ As hundreds of shearwaters die on their way down the south coast of nsw, how do we dispose of these?

A: Disposal is tricky, and approaches have varied overseas. Each jurisdiction will need to (1) decide whether they will collect and dispose of carcasses or leave them in situ, and (2), how carcasses will be collected, stored and disposed of. HPAI H5N1 absolutely survives in carcasses, and there are a number of trials overseas to get better clarify on survival in different conditions. It is important that members of the public do not touch dead bird carcasses.

Q38. Are there any resources available to help us raise the issue of HPN5 with others?

A: Yes! We've developed a two-page briefing note that you can use to inform others about the threat that HPN5 avian influenza poses to Australian wildlife and what can be done to prepare. We recommend sending the briefing note to your local federal and state MPs, council and your organisation. You can download the briefing note here.

Where can I go for more information?

• Visit Wildlife Health Australia's avian influenza page to access a full list of resources, including: factsheets, risk mitigation tools, communication guides, videos and other links.
• Visit Dr Michelle Wille's avian influenza website to access a wealth of information, including: updates on avian influenza reports in Australia, global situation updates, official guidelines, response updates and all the latest science.
• Access a free online course that covers emergency animal disease preparedness more generally via Animal Health Australia's website.
• Take a deep dive and read the Incursion Risk Assessment for Australia. This report reviews the HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.3b viruses to inform our understanding of how H5N1 might arrive in Australia and the potential consequences to wild birds, poultry and mammals.