WELLINGTON, N.Z. — Hot on the heels of Australia confirming in June its first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza and becoming the last continent for this declaration, its neighbor, New Zealand, has recently confirmed its first, and second, cases of H5 bird flu.
On July 15, a brown skua seabird found on Petone Beach in Wellington, was confirmed positive with H5N1. And on July 17, a swamp harrier hawk found in Wairarapa, was also confirmed with H5.
“While it’s disappointing to find a native bird with H5 bird flu, it’s not unexpected following the confirmation earlier this week of our first case in a single brown skua seabird found at Petone Beach,” Andrew Hoggard, New Zealand’s biosecurity minister, said in an announcement. “There has been no detection in poultry.”
New Zealand, being an island nation, is highly dependent on international trade and exports, with food products being a large portion of these exports.
The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries reports that its poultry industry has not noted any detections, and the government has been working diligently for years to establish and maintain biosecurity protocols.
“There remains no evidence of any mass mortality in wildlife or transmission between wild birds in New Zealand,” the ministry said in a statement. “We already have a well-established surveillance program that includes wildlife sanctuary notifications, zoos, along with the poultry industry and vet notification, and of course, the public. Over the past 12 months, through surveillance and monitoring activities in wild birds, more than 2,500 wild birds and 12,500 commercial poultry were tested. We are continuing to ask the community to remain vigilant and report any sick or dead birds in a group of three or more.”
The New Zealand Department of Conservation adds that it is ramping up its work with the nation’s poultry and egg producers in providing additional testing and checks, as well as one-on-one farmer support and establishing technical groups with scientists and experts. The department is also continuing its vaccination program for the country’s 300 core breeding birds and its five most endangered bird species.
“DOC has been preparing for the arrival of bird flu for several years, with a focus on minimizing the impact to wildlife populations on public conservation land through strong biosecurity practices, surveillance, and action to support the health and resilience of threatened native birds,” Tama Potaka, New Zealand’s conservation minister, said. “The vaccination program for some of our most endangered birds is progressing well. So far, 67 birds from six species or populations have received their first vaccination, with further vaccinations and booster doses continuing over the coming weeks.”
The New Zealand government continues to note that chicken and egg products are safe for consumption, and the human risk from the virus continues to be low.
“It’s important we continue to work closely with the egg and poultry industry as we have over the past several years preparing for bird flu’s arrival,” Hoggard added. “On-site biosecurity plans and measures are very important for chicken and egg producers, and we will up our work alongside sector groups to provide support and advice.”
“While it’s an individual decision for businesses, we support free range farmers taking precautionary action to protect their birds by temporarily housing them while we continue to gather more information about the spread of H5 bird flu,” Hoggard said. “We will have to learn to live with bird flu as it cannot be eradicated, and overseas experience shows strong biosecurity measures on-farm help.”
