Australia reported the first ever human case of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, on Wednesday, May 22, in a child.
According to Reuters, the health authorities informed that the child had been infected but made a full recovery.
Dr Claire Looker, the state's chief health officer, said in a statement, "This is the first confirmed human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Australia.”
It was the first instance of detection of the H5N1 strain in a person or animal in the country, She informed
Looker added, ‘The child experienced a severe infection but is no longer unwell and has made a full recovery."
Looker noted, “The case in Victoria involves an H5N1 virus, but the strain is not the same as those responsible for outbreaks in the United States.”
As per the health authorities in Australia’s southeastern state, Victoria, they have not found any other case of the virus during contact tracing.
Authorities believe that there are very low chances of other people becoming infected as the flu does not spread easily among people.
Additionally, Graeme Cooke, Victoria's chief veterinary officer told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio, "This area does have a high density of poultry businesses, both egg laying and poultry meat.”
Cooke furthered, "At this stage, we can't say whether there'll be any onward spread to other properties. We are now taking measures necessary to stamp it out to remove any onward spread.”
