Earth Watch Report
| 16.11.2012 | Biological Hazard | Australia | State of New South Wales, [Near to Maitland, Hunter Valley] |  |
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Biological Hazard in Australia on Thursday, 15 November, 2012 at 04:31 (04:31 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| An unidentified strain of bird flu has been detected at a hen farm near Maitland in the Hunter Valley, prompting authorities to quarantine about 50,000 chickens. The suspected virus is not thought to be the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu that has killed 359 people worldwide in sporadic outbreaks since 2003. Nonetheless, the 50,000 hens may have to be destroyed, the NSW Department of Primary Industries said. A "first response team" of specialists from the department is on site to enforce the quarantine, while the CSIRO runs lab tests on samples of the virus, with results expected this afternoon. "The suspected virus is definitely not the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has gained worldwide attention — nor is it closely related to that strain," the NSW chief veterinary officer, Ian Roth, said in a statement. "Australia has previously had a small number of outbreaks of avian influenza viruses, which were all quickly and successfully eradicated," Dr Roth said. "The property has been placed under quarantine and initial tracing and surveillance is being undertaken to confirm that the virus hasn't spread. We currently have no evidence to suggest it has." The department said Australia has had five outbreaks of avian influenza in chickens between 1976 and 1997 – three in Victoria and one each in NSW and Queensland. | |
| Biohazard name: | H5N1 (highly pathogenic avian influenza) |
| Biohazard level: | 4/4 Hazardous |
| Biohazard desc.: | Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | suspected |
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Biological Hazard in Australia on Thursday, 15 November, 2012 at 04:31 (04:31 AM) UTC.
| Updated: | Friday, 16 November, 2012 at 06:14 UTC |
| Description | |
| Australia's first outbreak of a highly pathogenic bird flu virus in 15 years should be contained by a cull of 50,000 chickens, authorities said on Friday, although they do not know what caused the case at an egg farm in New South Wales state. The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said all chickens at the property in Maitland, 160 km (100 miles) north of Sydney, will be destroyed after the H7 virus was detected last week. The H7 strain is highly pathogenic to birds but is not related to the H5N1 strain, which was first detected in 1997 in Hong Kong and has since caused hundreds of human deaths. DPI Chief Veterinary Officer Ian Roth said the strain did not present any risks to food safety from poultry and eggs. The owners of the infected farm have been quarantined as experts try to find the source of the virus, often wild birds. "It generally spreads by the movement of birds from the farm and there certainly hasn't been any of those," Roth told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio. "We're in the process now of doing the tracing and also surveillance in the area, and so far the tracing looks quite good. There hasn't been much potential for spread," he said. Australia's agriculture ministry reported the outbreak to the Paris-based animal health body OIE on Thursday. | |
