Experts urge Australia to boost bird flu testing and surveillance

Australia's strategy for containing the deadly H5 strain of bird flu should center on robust testing and surveillance, according to two leading infectious disease experts. The virus has now been officially confirmed in six locations across Australia, with the latest detection of an infected giant petrel in New South Wales. Scientists are also investigating a migratory bird in Perth that showed an initial positive test for the H5N1 strain. Nahid Bhadelia, director of Boston University's Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network, urged Australia to avoid the "mistake" of insufficient testing, which hampered understanding of transmission in the United States. "What we failed to do is really understand for a long period of time how it was transmitting on farms," she said. "And I think this is where Australia … with its biosecurity, with additional testing, could get ahead of and really understand how in your particular [environment] it's going to play out." Bhadelia stressed that an immediate priority should be enhanced surveillance of local birds and marine mammals, as these are likely to be infected before the virus spreads to domestic animals like chickens. Emmanuelle Soubeyran, head of the World Organisation for Animal Health, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of rapid laboratory diagnostics and genomic sequencing to trace the virus's origin. She commended Australia's swift detection but advised balancing passive surveillance (testing found sick or dead animals) with active surveillance, particularly in poultry, backyards, and wild birds, based on risk assessment. Lindall Kidd, national migratory shorebird coordinator for BirdLife Australia, agreed on the necessity of increased active surveillance, noting that Western Australia has largely relied on public reports. He emphasized the need to actively monitor bird populations, especially given the potential for the virus to spread further.

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What we failed to do is really understand for a long period of time how it was transmitting on farms. And I think this is where Australia … with its biosecurity, with additional testing, could get ahead of and really understand how in your particular [environment] it's going to play out.