Australia records the first case of bird flu from a highly contagious strain

Australia recorded the discovery of the first new case of highly contagious avian influenza on a poultry farm in the state of Victoria in southeastern Australia, a day after the country announced the first human case of the virus and also the discovery of a new case of infection with the virus with a strain on an egg farm.

According to the Reuters website, the human case found in Australia belongs to the same strain of the H5N1 virus that has spread rapidly around the world, but the cases discovered on farms in Victoria belong to a different H7N3 strain.

In a statement, the Department of Agriculture in Victoria linked the strain discovered at the poultry farm in the Terang area to that reported at the egg farm in Meredith, where it said, “The highly contagious H7N3 strain of avian influenza virus led to the death of many poultry.”

The statement quoted Victoria's chief veterinarian, Graeme Cook, as saying that Victoria's agriculture staff are on the ground to help contain and eliminate the virus.