If you notice sick or dead birds or other animals, you should not touch them. If there are multiple dead birds or other animals, take photos or a video.
Record your location and report it to the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
Bird flu mostly affects birds but does spread to other animals. Rarely, it can also infect people.
There are several strains of the bird flu virus. However, if you don’t work directly with birds, your risk of catching bird flu in Australia is low. See more on how bird flu can impact humans.
How it spreads
Most bird flu strains do not spread easily from animals to people, and there is no evidence that the current H5 bird flu strain spreads between people.
Like all flu viruses, strains can change over time. People can sometimes get bird flu through close contact with infected birds (dead or alive) or contaminated areas. Overseas, some people have become seriously ill with H5 bird flu and some deaths have been reported.
It’s important to remember that provided it is properly cooked, people do not get infected with bird flu by eating contaminated chicken meat and eggs.
If bird flu becomes a significant threat to our human population, the Australian Government will activate the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza. The plan provides direction for agencies and emergency services in all states and territories to manage the threat.
Symptoms
People can be infected with bird flu and have no symptoms at all. But symptoms can include:
- fever
- cough
- sore throat
- runny nose
- conjunctivitis
- muscle aches and pains
- headache
- fatigue
- gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea (less common).
If you think you may have been in contact with infected birds and have any bird flu symptoms, talk to your health professional.
There is no vaccine against bird flu, but there are treatment options. Your health professional can advise you on the best treatment for you.
Stay safe if you work with birds
When there have been human cases overseas, they usually occurred after someone was in close contact with sick birds, livestock, or contaminated environments.
If you do work with birds, you can take steps to protect yourself from bird flu. These include:
- Don't touch sick birds unless you have to.
- Wash your hands well and often with soap and running water, especially after handling birds.
- Wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
If you get symptoms, talk to your doctor and let them know that you work with birds.
The interim Australian Centre for Disease Control has developed a bird flu toolkit to help protect people who work with birds,
Stay safe while travelling overseas
Before travelling overseas, you need to talk with your doctor as part of your routine pre-travel health checks, especially if you are travelling to countries with recent bird flu outbreaks. While travelling, you need to:
- avoid contact with live birds, including chickens, geese and ducks on farms and in marketplaces
- avoid contact with sick or dead wild or domestic birds
- practice good hygiene, such as regular hand washing
- regularly check the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Travel Bulletin
- check specific travel advice for information about any changes to countries and regions you are visiting.
Food safety and bird flu
Bird flu is not a food safety risk for chicken meat and eggs if they are handled and cooked correctly.
Practice good food hygiene by washing your hands and utensils after handling animals, eggs or raw chicken meat.
Learn about food safety basics to reduce the risks of foodborne illnesses.