Bird flu failure: No plan in place for bird flu outbreaks in cattle

Australia has no plan in place to deal with an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus in cattle, despite its rapid spread in the US.

Australia has no plan in place on how the beef and dairy industries should respond to an outbreak of the globally devastating H5N1 avian influenza virus in cattle.

The latest version of the 127-page AUSVET plan for avian influenza dedicates the equivalent of just one page to the overseas experience of mammalian infections with H5N1, with no mention of an Australian response plan for cattle.

Most of the current plan is dedicated to avian influenza epidemiology in birds, quarantine and control measures, tracing the disease, destruction of poultry and cost-sharing arrangements.

At this stage Animal Health Australia, which is responsible for 30 AUSVET plans, does not have one in place to deal with an H5N1 spillover event into cattle.

AHA acting chief executive Samantha Allan said her team was “working with our members to develop updated guidance” but gave no detail on when such a plan would be in place.

Meanwhile the H5N1 virus has killed more than 500 million birds worldwide and infected at least 26 mammalian species, from cats and dogs to bears, seals, dolphins and more recently dairy cattle in the US.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that from March to June 4, the H5N1 virus has spread from wild birds to dairy cows and then from herd to herd, infecting more than 80 farms in nine states.

The USDA has found high viral loads in the milk of lactating cows and that it can be transmitted in raw unpasteurised milk.

The H5N1 virus has now spread along the migratory paths of birds from Asia, into Europe and the Americas, before reaching the sub-Antarctic islands off South America.

In December Australia’s chief veterinary officer and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry issued an incursion risk assessment that found “there is a high risk associated with HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b incursions and establishment into Australia for wild birds” and a “moderate/high risk for poultry”.

But at this stage it appears the dairy industry is confident that the H5N1 virus does not pose a major threat, with Dairy Australia animal health leader Zoe Vogels stating it “is still considered low”.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Ben Bennett said updated planning to respond to any influenza complications would be welcomed by farmers.

“They are important questions (The Weekly Times) has raised. We look forward to hearing from the organisations overseeing the situation,” he said.