Avian influenza case detected at Canberra farm, ACT government confirms

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed at a commercial chicken farm in the ACT. Biosecurity measures are now in place at the property, but health authorities say the risk to humans is low and it is still safe to eat chicken meat and eggs.

Transcript

00:00Bird flu has arrived in the capital.

00:05Avian influenza H7N8 strain.

00:09The virus was transferred from an affected property in New South Wales to an egg farm

00:14in the ACT with an undisclosed number of birds.

00:17All the birds will eventually suffer from this particular disease so it becomes a significant

00:22animal welfare and therefore all birds will require depopulation.

00:28The affected property is also a processing facility that sizes eggs from interstate before

00:33distribution and sale.

00:35Contaminated equipment used to transport eggs is thought to have transferred the virus.

00:40Though deadly to chickens, the danger for humans is minimal.

00:44The risk of transmission from an infected chicken to a human is very low.

00:50If there was a human who was infected, the risk of them then sharing that with any other

00:56humans is also very low.

00:57With the ACT property now in quarantine, tracing will establish if the virus has spread

01:02back into New South Wales.

01:04Any equipment, trucks, anything that has gone out of the particular property, there will

01:11be tracing in place.

01:13People who keep backyard chickens are advised to monitor their birds and practice good biosecurity

01:18measures.

01:19Meanwhile, the government says there is no food safety issue associated with the outbreak.

01:24It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry, meat, eggs and egg products.

01:31Biosecurity measures have been increased at other commercial egg farms in the territory.

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