H5 LPAI bird flu discovered in Melbourne
The low pathogenic avian influenza was uncovered, during a routine check on the 25th of January, of a duck grower farm in the Melbourne area of Victoria.
Dr Mark Andrew Schipp reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) an outbreak of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5 serotype LPAI) on the 27th of January. Two farms were placed under quarantine and 24,500 birds were destroyed.
This is the first time H5 LPAI has been identified in the history of Australia. The N1 variant has been ruled out by an N1-specific PCR test. Charaterisation and virus isolation are still being carried out.
The source of the infection is as yet unknown, and investigations are still on-going.
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