The Australian government is providing new funding of AU$95 million (US$62.5 million) to protect the country against an incursion of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1.
Australia is the only continent to remain free of H5N1, and the new funding is on top of more than AU$1 billion of additional biosecurity funding announced in the country’s 2023 budget.
Of the additional funds, AU$13 million will be used to increase national security response capability and improve surveillance with key partners, including states and territories, while Aus$5 million will go to boost biosecurity and scientific capability, including procuring vaccines for use in some captive threatened bird species.
Up to AU$10 million will be invested in nationally coordinated communications, while AU$7 million is going to enhance wild bird surveillance activities through Wildlife Health Australia, which works with emerging wildlife health issues, to improve detection and reporting capacity.
Over AU$35 million will be spent on boosting environmental measures and to accelerate protective action for threatened species, while AU$22.1 million will be spent on strengthening public health preparedness by increasing the number of ready-to-use pandemic influenza vaccines in the National Medical Stockpile.
Not if but when
Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, commented: “This strain of avian influenza presents real and significant threat to Australia’s agriculture sector. Impacts experienced this year from outbreaks of other strains of high pathogenicity avian influenza highlight the importance of continued investment in national preparedness”
Australia has seen both high- and low-pathogenic strains of avian influenza circulating this year, leading to localized disruption to egg supplies to the retail, hospitality and manufacturing sectors. There has no, impact the supply of broiler meat.
Commenting on the threat of H5N1, Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Environment and Water said that while Australia remained free from HPAI H5N1, the awful reality of the disease was that, like the rest of the world, Australia would not be able to prevent its arrival.
