Australia reports first human avian influenza infection
Two cases of Avian Influenza have been reported in Victoria, Australia.
An outbreak at an egg farm involving the HPAI H7N3 strain has led to hundreds of thousands of chickens being euthanized. The property near Meredith, in the state's west, is in quarantine, and testing has confirmed that the strain of the disease is H7N3, which is the most commonly occurring variant in Australia.
An unrelated human case of H5N1 (2.5-year-old girl), which is not connected to the outbreak at the chicken farm, was reported in a child returning from an overseas trip in March. This case was only confirmed over the weekend. The two events are not related, as the virus strains are different.
Bird flu was last detected in Australia in 2020, when it was found on an egg farm south of Ballarat. This resulted in multiple outbreaks in Victoria and led to tens of thousands of farmed birds being euthanized.
The human case: A previously healthy 2.5-year-old girl returned to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, after visiting Kolkata, India, during February 12–29, 2024. The child became ill in India; her family sought medical care on February 28. After returning to Australia, she was hospitalized on March 2, then transferred with severe influenza on March 4 and admitted to intensive care with respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Influenza A virus was detected by PCR, but no subtyping was performed. A 5-day course of oseltamivir was administered beginning on day 3 after admission; she recovered fully and was discharged after 2.5 weeks. No clinical illness was apparent in other family members, and no samples were taken or tested.
