Highly Pathogeneous Bird Flu Attacks Duck Farm In Australia

Illustration of duck farms. (Wikimedia Commons/Vmenkov)

JAKARTA - The highly pathogenic bird flu was found at a duck farm near Melbourne, close to five poultry farms where the virus has spread, the Australian State Government said.

The duck farm is in a quarantine zone set up around other affected facilities, with the government saying the infection was nothing surprising.

Authorities are trying to contain an outbreak of two types of bird flu near Melbourne, the H7N3 strain on four poultry farms and bebe farms, as well as the H7N9 strain on a poultry farm of about 130 km (80 miles) in the southwest.

None of these types is an H5N1 strain that has infected billions of wild animals and livestock worldwide, disrupted food supply chains and raised fears of human transmission.

"Tests have confirmed the highly pathogenic type of H7N3 at a commercial duck farm," the Victorian Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

"All the ducks in that place will be humanely dumped under the supervision of veterinarians, in accordance with national policy, and the venue will be cleared and sterilized of infection," the statement continued.

About one million of Australia's 21-22 million laying hens have been or will be killed on affected farms to stem the virus, Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said this week.

Australia's industry agency Eggs said the outbreak caused disruption to supply, but there was no overall shortage of eggs.

"People can be sure that we can handle it," Watt said.

Prior to the latest cases, Australia experienced nine highly pathogenic bird flu outbreaks since 1976, all of which could be overcome and eradicated, according to the government.

However, authorities said, eggs and duck and chicken meat remained safe to eat.