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Avian Influenza

About the Disease

By Professor Tom A. Scott

Avian influenza is a viral disease, it belongs to the virus family Orthomyxoviridae. There are many strains of the virus, and the current and highly pathogenic strain H5N1 is presently of concern in Asia. The avian influenza virus is widely distributed throughout the world, commonly present in wild waterfowl which typically are not susceptible to this virus, but act as a reservoir. When highly pathogenic strains of the virus, such as H5N1 evolve, they can cause extensive mortality in chickens and turkeys. In the present case, the H5N1 strain is also implicated in mortality of commercial duck flocks in Asia. There have been reported cases of transfer of the influenza virus from poultry to humans, particularly in the current outbreak in Asia, however, no spread of the disease between humans has been found.

Although the current strain of avian influenza (H5N1) has never been isolated in Australia, there have been previous outbreaks of highly pathogenic forms of the disease in Australia requiring strict quarantine and disposal of infected or suspected flocks of birds.

Spread of the disease is rapid, as the virus is highly concentrated in the manure and in nasal and eye discharges of infected birds. Therefore, exposure of poultry to infection from migratory birds, in particular waterfowl, is of concern. Once the disease is present in a flock, it can move quickly from farm to farm unless strict biosecurity is practiced.

Latest updates

ProMED-mail: Latest information on Avian Influenza
ProMED-mail, the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. It is "an Internet-based reporting system dedicated to rapid and global dissemination of information about outbreaks of infectious diseases that affect human health.". The site provides the latest information on Avian Influenza.

Alerts - Disease Information
The World Organisation for Animal Health's website publishes the latest information on Avian Influenza. Users can also search the archive for further information.

ABC Science Online: Avian Influenza/Bird Flu
An archive of recent articles gathered from Australia and overseas published by ABC Science Online on the topic of Avian Influenza. Users can also check the Latest News section of the website for the most recent updates on all science news stories including Avian Influenza.

Daily Bird Flu News Updates
"ThePoultrySite.com is a free information resource for the global poultry industry, supported by some of the key industry players". This page provides links to the latest information and news on outbreaks of bird flu.

Australian Resources

Avian Influenza (also called Bird Flu)
Produced by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, this webpage contains some basic information about Avian Influenza for laypeople and health professionals. It features a Frequently Asked Questions section.

AFFA: Avian Influenza
Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry Australia's website features a page dedicated to Avian Influenza. It contains a Frequently Asked Questions section and details of what action Australia is taking.

Avian Influenza (bird flu)
Part of the New South Wales, Department of Primary Industries website. A collection of fact sheets and other publications on Avian influenza.

Overseas Resources

OIE: Avian Influenza
This website has been created by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). It provides a description of the disease and detailed information on transparency regulations, surveillance, diagnostic methods and vaccines, humane slaughter, disease control, and food safety.

WHO: Avian Influenza
The World Health Organization has produced this webpage on Avian Influenza. It contains the latest information on the outbreak of the disease as well as links to factsheets and other archival materials.

Information Resources on Avian Influenza
Published by the US Department of Agriculture in October 2005. This publication is No. 33 in the Animal Welfare Information Center Resource Series. The site provides an expansive bibliography of Avian Flu resources as well as links to the Agricultural Research Service´s Avian Flu web page.

Avian Influenza
Part of the EU Animal Health and Welfare website this webpage gives details of the disease's causative agent, clinical symptoms, transmission and spread and vacination. It also provides the latest news on the disease.

CDC: Avian Influenza
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are part of the US Government Department of Health and Human Services. This webpage provides some basic information about Avian Influenza as well as providing updates on latest developments. It also provides links to other websites with avian flu information.

FAO: Avian Influenza
Website created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN includes backgroud information, special reports, details of technical consultations, and updates.

FAO/OIE Emergency Meeting on Avian Influenza Control in Animals in Asia 26-28 February 2004
The report resulting from this meeting is published on the FAO website. Also available is the FAO/OIE/WHO Technical Consultation on the Control of Avian Influenza 3-4 February 2004.

New Scientist - Bird flu
Archive of articles published in the new Scientist journal on the subject of bird flu. atrticles span from February 2003 to the present.

Nature: Bird flu
Web focus published by Nature brings together a series of articles published in Nature Science Update on the Avian Influenza outbreak.

Policies and strategies

AUSVETPLAN: Avian Influenza
Interim draft Version 3.1 2005. This strategy sets out the disease control principles approved by the Primary Industries Ministerial Council use in an animal health emergency caused by the occurence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Australia.

Search PubMed for Avian Influenza related articles

Search PubMed for:

• Articles published in the last year with Influenza A Virus, Avian as a subject heading
• All articles with Influenza A Virus, Avian as a subject heading

Research databases and indexes

Recommended research databases and indexes for this area of study are: CAB Abstracts, MEDLINE, AGRICOLA, TOXLINE, BIOSIS Previews and Web of Science.