The NSW Government has increased surveillance and boosted biosecurity capacity for H5 bird flu by dedicating additional resources to identifying potential cases coupled with an awareness campaign focused on input from the community and the needs of industry.
Surveillance operations have ramped up as state prepares for a potential detection in NSW, including establishing a H5 bird flu call centre, training over 380 additional staff, including Local Land Services and National Parks and Wildlife Service field officers to undertake surveillance for H5 bird flu.
All surveillance testing for H5 bird flu takes place at the Elizbeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI) is funded by the NSW Government.
The State Coordination Centre has been stood up at the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD)’s Orange Agricultural Institute to provide coordination of surveillance operations and NSW’s response should a detection be confirmed.
NSW DPIRD has delivered a series of webinars and workshops with government field staff and veterinarians to build practical capability to respond to an H5 bird flu detection in NSW.
The focus has been on hands-on skills including roles, reporting, sampling and PPE, resulting in strong improvements in participant confidence.
The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has developed detailed wildlife preparedness plans for 34 priority sites, and statewide response plans for vulnerable species including little penguins and fur seals.
NSW has well developed wildlife surveillance systems to facilitate early detection and there are established national arrangements for responding to incursions of H5 bird flu in wildlife.
An awareness campaign is underway direct with industry and across social media providing the essential information. Briefings have been held with environmental groups, and an industry briefing is planned for later this week.
Additional resources have been deployed to manage the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.
To date, H5 bird flu has not been detected in NSW. NSW remains free of H5 bird flu.
NSW Health advises that the risk to human health remains low.
If unusual deaths or illness in wild birds are observed please AVOID contact, RECORD by taking photos or video and REPORT immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on
1800 675 888.
NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said:
“We are doing everything possible to keep H5 out of NSW and protecting our primary industries sector by strengthening surveillance and boosting biosecurity capacity and capability across the production and environmental fronts.
“We have delivered more than 50 briefings and workshops to key agricultural and wildlife stakeholders, ensuring if it does arrive industry and the community have the vital information to manage an outbreak.
“We are using the best available data to target actions for our most at-risk wildlife species and important natural places.
“We continue to offer our support to Western Australia following its confirmed cases, in technical or operational areas; we want to provide support where we can to help WA and contain the virus.”
NSW Chief Veterinary Officer Jo Coombe said:
“We are establishing innovative spatial mapping tools, decision-support systems and response databases to enable rapid, evidence-based action during a wildlife outbreak.
“While the current incursion has only been confirmed in two birds, eradication or containment of H5 bird flu in wildlife is unlikely to be possible if it becomes established in wildlife populations.
“We continue to ask the community to AVOID, RECORD and REPORT any unusual signs of illness or deaths of multiple birds, especially on the coastline, so we can manage any incursion quickly.
“We are working closely with the Australian Government and following national arrangements in place.
“Our focus, if it were to become established in NSW, would be to minimise risk of onward transmission to commercial poultry, protect human health, where possible reduce the impact on the environment, and ensure stakeholders are kept informed.”
