Professor Jemma Geoghegan, from University of Otago Otakou Whakaihu Waka, is co-leading a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where bird flu could affect Aotearoa New Zealand as the highly contagious H5N1 virus spreads globally.
The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania, and was recently confirmed in a dairy worker in the United States who contracted the virus from cows. Professor Geoghegan explains what this means for New Zealand, its wildlife and the potential for human-to-human transmission.
How concerned should we be about the spread of bird flu from animals to humans?
H5N1, a strain of the highly pathogenic bird flu (or bird flu) virus, recently made the jump to dairy cows and infected multiple farms in the United States. By examining the virus genomes of cows and other hosts such as birds, scientists believe the virus may be transmitted from cow to cow. If this is the case, it is much more likely that the virus can also be transmitted from person to person, because cows and humans are mammals. That hasn't happened yet, and maybe it won't. But every time the virus gets into a mammal, it gives it a chance to evolve and become better at infecting mammals. This is something that scientists, including Te Niwha experts, are keeping a close eye on.
Is there a way to prevent bird flu from reaching New Zealand?
Unlike the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot close our borders to infected wildlife. But we can better prepare for the moment the virus presents itself. Bird flu has changed dramatically in recent years. The virus can now infect a much wider host range and therefore spread over a greater geographic range than previously thought. So we need to adapt our surveillance systems. We need to get better at detecting and preventing the virus from spreading further. In a recently funded The Niwha Project, my colleagues and I are trying to better understand virus transmission among birds in New Zealand. We are also working on ways we can use rapid environmental testing to improve our early warning system.
How devastating would it be for our wildlife if it reached New Zealand?
New Zealand is home to many bird species that are found nowhere else in the world. But more than 80 percent of them are already endangered. This highly pathogenic virus has killed millions of birds around the world. If or when this virus arrives in New Zealand it will be devastating to our native birds.
What should the public do if they see potentially infected animals in the wild?
The signs of H5N1 vary, but the most obvious are several dead birds or other species. Signs may be milder, including complaints related to the nervous system, such as lack of coordination and involuntary movements. If you see sick or dying wildlife, do not touch them. They should be reported immediately to Biosecurity New Zealand (0800 80 99 66), which regularly investigates cases of illness.
Are there vaccines or treatments available for wildlife?
The Department of Conservation is using vaccines in a trial aimed at protecting our most vulnerable species from bird flu to prevent species extinction. The trial is limited to a small number of endangered native species, including takahē and kākāpō. The vaccine being tested has been used elsewhere in zoos and contains an inactivated virus, meaning it cannot cause bird flu infection.