CANBERRA/WELLINGTON — Australia and New Zealand are bracing for the arrival of a destructive bird flu strain by tightening biosecurity at farms, testing shore birds for disease, vaccinating vulnerable species and war-gaming response plans.
Oceania is the last region of the world free of the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b avian influenza that has killed hundreds of millions of birds and tens of thousands of mammals since appearing in Asia, Europe and Africa in 2020, littering beaches with corpses and upending the agricultural industry.
New Zealand is also unlikely to avoid the virus long term, said Mary van Andel, chief veterinary officer for the country's Ministry of Primary Industries.'Geographic isolation has protected us from HPAI in the past, but we can't rely on it forever,' she said.'Wartime'Both countries have intensified preparation.
New Zealand Brace For Bird Flu Threat
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