High pathogenicity H5N1 avian influenza (H5 bird flu) is causing global concern and has spread rapidly between continents associated with the movement of wild birds. Please visit Bird flu (Avian influenza) - DAFF for the current situation in Australia.
While preparedness for H5 bird flu has been a focus, the dynamic global situation requires ongoing monitoring and vigilance.
- We can all help protect our wildlife, poultry and other animals against H5 bird flu
- Early detection and reporting are essential to reduce the potential impact of this disease.
If you see any unusual signs of disease, behaviour or unexplained death in your poultry, kept birds or in any wild birds or other animals, immediately call the Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) Hotline on 1800 675 888.
About H5 bird flu
Avian influenza is an infectious disease of avian species and occurs worldwide. Wild, farmed and pet birds can all catch bird flu.
The H5N1 strain (H5 bird flu) circulating globally is different to other forms of avian influenza in that it circulates in wild birds in the high pathogenicity form, causing disease and deaths in wild birds as well as commercial poultry, also infecting an expanded host range, particularly mammals.
- Many species of wild birds, including waterfowl, seabirds and birds of prey have died from H5 bird flu overseas, however, some birds may carry the virus without showing any significant signs of disease.
- Chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, pheasants, emus and ostriches are also included in the more than 400 avian species that have suffered disease and death from H5 bird flu overseas.
- Globally, more than 60 mammalian species have also suffered disease and death from H5 bird flu. These were mainly marine mammals and bird-eating scavengers, but cases have been detected in dairy cattle, pet cats, goats, alpacas, pigs, horses, zoo animals and other wild animals.
Mammals, especially carnivores and marine mammals, may be infected with the virus by consuming infected birds or other animals; however, infection can also occur via close contact with infected birds, animals or products, or contact with environments contaminated with virus from infected birds or animals.
What are the signs of H5 bird flu?
Clinical signs of infection with H5 bird flu in birds include:
- Sudden death without clinical signs, including mass mortality events
- Lethargy or reluctance to walk, eat or drink
- Droopy appearance or ruffled feathers
- Neurological signs such as tremors, poor co-ordination, unusual postures, inability to walk or stand, seizures
- Respiratory signs such as panting, nasal discharge, coughing or sneezing
- Swelling around the head and neck
- Watery or green diarrhoea.
In poultry, signs may also include:
- Sudden decrease in egg production
- Purple discolouration or bruising of the wattles, combs and legs.
Infected wild mammals may show a wide range of clinical signs, including:
- Neurological signs (paralysis, seizures and tremors)
- Respiratory signs
- Sudden death, including the potential for mass mortality events.
Report sick or dead birds or wildlife:
If you see multiple sick or dead birds or other animals, do not touch them.
- Avoid contact
- Record what you see
- Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 from anywhere in Australia.
What you should report to us:
- Five or more sick or dead wild birds of any species, anywhere in NSW.
- Two or more sick or dead backyard poultry or pet birds.
Or one or more individuals from a high-risk species:
- Sick or dead penguin or pelican.
- Sick or dead bird of prey (for example, hawk, owl, eagle).
- Sick or dead black swan.
- Sick or dead marine mammal (for example, seal, sea lion, dolphin).Early detection is essential to reduce the potential impact of this disease.
Australia has successfully eradicated previous H7 strains of HPAI, but the H5 bird flu strain currently circulating globally has shown its ability to establish and spread in a wide range of environmental and production systems worldwide.
Vigilance and preparedness are essential safeguards.
What do I do if I suspect bird flu?
If you see multiple sick or dead birds or other animals, do not touch them.
- Avoid contact
- Record what you see
- Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 from anywhere in Australia.
Following a report, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will evaluate the need for diagnostic testing or other investigation. Reporting is key to early detection.
How is bird flu spread?
Waterfowl are considered natural reservoir hosts for the virus and in many instances, can be infected with and transmit bird flu without showing any symptoms.
Bird flu can be rapidly spread by close contact between birds or contact with bird faeces.
Migratory bird and marine mammal movements, movements of contaminated people, equipment and vehicles are also possible pathways of H5 bird flu spread.
What are the human impacts of bird flu?
Bird flu is not a food safety risk for chicken meat and eggs if they are handled and cooked correctly.
Bird flu rarely spreads to humans but may occur if there is close, unprotected contact with infected birds, droppings or heavily contaminated environments.
Bird flu spreads by direct contact with infected birds or their saliva/faeces. Spread can also occur from indirect contact, from droplets or dust containing virus.
You may be at higher risk of getting bird flu if you travel to countries with avian influenza and have contact with sick birds and other infected animals.
People at the highest risk of getting bird flu are those who:
- work with commercial poultry (chicken or turkey) and/or are in close contact with sick birds that may be infected with avian influenza
- work with and/or are in close contact with other animal species that can be infected with avian influenza e.g. mammals, particularly if they are unwell
- are in close contact with a person who is infected with avian influenza.
Further information about Avian influenza can be found on the NSW Health website.
First Nations communities
Populations of culturally and economically important animal and plant species could be impacted by H5 bird flu. Species that are important for First Nations peoples could be at risk.
The NSW Government has engaged with First Nations people and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to ensure community needs are met before and during any outbreak of H5 bird flu in NSW. Access to Country may be temporarily impacted in affected areas to prevent disease spread and protect human health.
People on Country should not approach or handle sick or dead wild birds or wildlife unless trained to do so. This is for their own safety and to avoid the spread of H5 bird flu.
Sick or dead birds or other animals should be reported to a vet, a ranger or a community leader, or by calling the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
What you can do
- If you see multiple sick or dead birds or other animals, do not touch them.
- Avoid contact. Record what you see. Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 from anywhere in Australia.
- Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands and utensils after handling your animals, eggs or raw meat.
- Keep pets away from wildlife, including preventing cats from roaming and keeping dogs on leads in wildlife areas.
- When going to and from national parks, reserves or farms, clean your footwear, clothing and vehicle to help prevent spreading diseases between places.
- If you own, care for, or work with birds or chickens, you should:
- prevent wild birds from mingling with your birds, and accessing their feed and water
- keep pens, aviaries, feeders and equipment clean
- wash hands thoroughly with soap before and after handling birds
- monitor birds for signs of disease or sudden deaths.
- Poultry producers are reminded that on-farm biosecurity practices are crucial to protect the health of their flocks.
What can I do to help protect my birds?
Good biosecurity can help protect your birds from diseases such as bird flu.
Regardless of whether you are a commercial producer, or only keep a few chickens or birds in your backyard, putting biosecurity practices in place will help to protect your birds from disease.
- Restrict contact between your birds and wild birds wherever you can
- Provide feed and water in the poultry shed or use equipment that restricts wild bird access to avoid contamination
. - Keep your poultry sheds, yards, aviaries and equipment clean
- Only buy healthy birds from reputable suppliers and always quarantine new birds before introducing them to the existing flock
- Limit any visitors to your birds, and check if essential visitors have recently visited other premises where poultry are kept
- Always practice good hygiene if you attend bird shows or poultry auctions
- Always wash your hands before and after handling birds and eggs
- Change into clean footwear before entering poultry houses or hen facilities, to stop the potential transfer of disease from outside
- Keep good records of bird movements or sales
- Record and report unusual signs of disease or increased deaths in your birds
If you notice any unusual signs of disease, abnormal behaviour or unexplained deaths in your birds, call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888, or contact your veterinarian or Local Land Services District Vet on 1300 295 799.
Prepare a farm biosecurity plan
The following resources can assist poultry producers to improve biosecurity at their facilities and reduce the risk of significant disease in their enterprise.
What can be done with wildlife or owned birds that have H5 bird flu?
International experience has shown that most wildlife and birds affected by H5 bird flu are unlikely to survive and there is no reliable treatment available for H5 bird flu in wildlife. Eradication or containment of H5 bird flu in wildlife is unlikely to be possible if it becomes established in wildlife populations.
How to safely dispose of dead birds
More Information
Information about H5 bird flu is available at Bird flu (Avian influenza) - DAFF.
- ACT’s Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate website
- Agriculture Victoria website
- Australian Government Department of Health
- Avian influenza information for private veterinarians (PDF, 388.34 KB)
- Avian Influenza routes of transmission ( PDF, 1766.42 KB)
- Biosecurity emergencies - Current situation
- Diagnosis and tests available
- Disposal of bird carcasses from public and private land
- HPAI brochure in poultry for local Council (PDF, 3321.34 KB)
- HPAI info for pet birds (PDF, 4716.97 KB)
- Information for wildlife rehabilitators (PDF, 1347.83 KB)
- Information on bird shows
- Lab information for veterinarians and sample management
- NSW biosecurity guidelines for free range poultry farms (PDF, 352.24 KB)
- NSW Food Authority
- NSW Health
- Outbreak.gov.au
- Procedure: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (PDF, 214.16 KB)
- SA Department of Primary Industries and Regions Biosecurity emergencies - Current situation
What we're doing in NSW
Although H5 bird flu has not been detected in NSW, authorities are preparing for the possibility that it could arrive. Governments, industry, and wildlife experts are working together to strengthen early detection and response systems.
Since 2021, H5 bird flu has spread across much of the world, infecting hundreds of bird species and more than 50 mammal species. Because of this global spread, the risk of H5 bird flu impacting Australia has increased. This also raises the likelihood of outbreaks in wild birds, native wildlife, and commercial or backyard poultry.
In recognition of the H5 bird flu threat, government funding is supporting H5 bird flu preparedness and response capability in NSW and across Australia. This funding will strengthen surveillance, preparedness and response capability, and mitigate the impacts of a potential H5 bird flu outbreak on Australian agriculture, the environment and human health.
Significant projects include:
- Protecting our agriculture sector by enhancing national coordination of response arrangements and communications, strengthening surveillance, and boosting biosecurity capacity and capability across the production and environmental biosecurity sectors.
- Boosting and accelerating H5 bird flu preparedness planning and protective action by using the best available data to target actions for our most at-risk wildlife species and important natural places.
- Training NSW Government field staff and veterinarians in surveillance for H5 bird flu and support for impacted wildlife.
More information on funded activities can be found at birdflu.gov.au.
Disease surveillance
Industry and government work together to monitor viruses and diseases in wild birds and animals. Some examples include:
Wildlife Health Australia coordinates the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird Surveillance Program, which was established in 2005. It facilitates testing of thousands of samples from healthy wild birds to see what strains of avian influenza are circulating, as well as testing to rule out avian influenza and other reportable diseases when mass bird deaths occur.
Wildlife Health Australia is a key partner in the national biosecurity system and is supported through the Australian Government’s investments in preparedness, including an additional $7 million in funding announced in October 2024.
We’re also supporting the expansion of surveillance across the Murray–Darling Basin’s wetlands and remote island parks, and undertaking preparedness activities across the Commonwealth’s national parks.
At a national level, DAFF’s Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy program was established three decades ago. It works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, Indigenous ranger groups, and jurisdictions in northern Australia, conducting surveillance and raising awareness of bird flu in the region.
NSW and the other state and territory governments conduct disease surveillance and control within their borders.
Poultry producers should continue to implement strong biosecurity measures, have monitoring systems to quickly detect disease in their flocks, and immediately report signs of disease to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
The Australian Government supports the operation of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. As part of a global network, this facility is responsible for monitoring the evolution of influenza viruses, including H5 bird flu, and looking for early warning signals for influenza strains with pandemic potential.
CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness helps countries in the Asia–Pacific affected by the current H5 bird flu outbreaks to track the virus through ongoing surveillance and international reference lab projects in the region.
Resources
H5 bird flu resources, including factsheets, posters and signs are available here