| Communicable Disease Factsheet |
A new epidemic of severe influenza amongst flocks of poultry was identified in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in December 2003 and has subsequently spread to several other Asian countries including Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Laos and Indonesia. |
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| Avian influenza ("Bird Flu") | |||||
Issued: 11 February 2004 |
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| This factsheet in other languages: Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese | |||||
The situation in February 2004The avian influenza virus has now infected a small number of humans who have had contact with diseased birds or their faeces. Some of the people infected with this virus have died.Methods used by authorities in the affected countries have included vaccinating unaffected stocks and culling flocks of birds that have the disease and those that may have been exposed to the virus. Although it is likely that many bird species are susceptible to influenza, most severely affected birds appear to be domestic poultry species, especially chickens. The virus is called influenza A H5N1. There was a similar occurrence in Hong Kong in 1997 in which 18 people became infected and six died. In that outbreak, all of the poultry in Hong Kong was culled to control the epidemic. The current epidemic in birds appears to be more severe and widespread compared with previous similar epidemics and is caused by a different strain of the H5N1 virus. Influenza pandemicsA pandemic is a large-scale worldwide epidemic that results when a new virus emerges in a population with little or no immunity. Previous influenza pandemics occurred in 1918-19, 1957-58 and 1968-69.At this stage, there has been only limited person-to-person transmission of avian influenza. Should this virus develop the ability to be transmitted easily between people (eg. by combining with a human influenza virus), it is likely that many more humans will be infected. The Australian situationAs of 10 February 2004, there have been no reports of avian influenza in Australian birds and there are no reports of Australian human cases of influenza involving the new H5N1 virus. This situation is being closely monitored by animal and human health authorities.Australia does not import live poultry or uncooked poultry products from Asia and there is now increased surveillance for the illegal importation of birds or bird products at Australian borders. There is a risk that infected migratory birds travelling from Asia to Australia could introduce avian influenza. Travel adviceCurrently, there are no travel restrictions to countries that have reported avian influenza. The Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recommends that Australians (especially children) avoid farms and live bird markets in areas that report outbreaks of avian influenza.When handling poultry products it is important to maintain a hygienic environment. This includes regular hand washing, careful storage and preparation and the thorough cooking of meat. Transmission of avian influenza to humansIt is understood that exposure to infected poultry and their faeces (or dust or soil contaminated with faeces) can result in human infection. Eating cooked chicken or eggs does not result in infection.At this stage, humans infected with the avian virus do not appear to be able to easily infect others. Symptoms of influenza in humansPeople infected with common influenza viruses often have sudden onset of many of the following symptoms: fever, headache, muscle or joint pain, tiredness, sore throat, cough and runny nose. Symptoms generally appear between one and three days following infection.Infection with influenza can lead to complications such as pneumonia and can be more severe in infants, children, the elderly, and in people with chronic diseases. Avian influenza (H5N1) is likely to have a similar clinical picture although the death rate appears to be higher. Prevention and treatmentA human vaccine has not yet been developed for the new avian influenza strain, although work on this has commenced overseas. It is likely to take several months for a vaccine to be produced.Existing human influenza vaccines are not thought to provide protection against the new virus. Nevertheless, annual vaccination remains a safe and effective way to decrease the risk of infection with human influenza virus strains currently circulating in Australia. People at risk of infection, such as health care workers and people working with birds, should be immunised early with the current human influenza vaccine. Should avian influenza enter Australia, this would reduce the risk of a dangerous new strain emerging if a person becomes infected with both human and bird viruses at the same time. Some types of antiviral drugs are likely to be effective in treating avian influenza in humans. Further informationInformation hotline 1800 004 599Related links
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| Metropolitan Areas | Location | Number | Rural Areas | Location | Number |
| Northern Sydney/Central Coast | Hornsby | 02 9477 9400 | Greater Southern | Goulburn | 02 4824 1837 |
| Gosford | 02 4349 4845 | Albury | 02 6080 8900 | ||
| South Eastern Sydney/Illawarra | Randwick | 02 9382 8333 | Greater Western | Broken Hill | 08 8080 1499 |
| Wollongong | 02 4221 6700 | Dubbo | 02 6841 5569 | ||
| Sydney South West | Camperdown | 02 9515 9420 | Bathurst | 02 6339 5601 | |
| Sydney West | Penrith | 02 4734 2022 | Hunter/New England | Newcastle | 02 4924 6477 |
| Parramatta | 02 9840 3603 | Tamworth | 02 6767 8630 | ||
| Justice Health Service | Matraville | 02 9311 2707 | North Coast | Port Macquarie | 02 6588 2750 |
| Lismore | 02 6620 7500 | ||||
Print factsheetwww.health.nsw.gov.au/publichealth/infectious/phus.asp
73 Miller Street, North Sydney NSW 2059
tel 02 9391 9000
fax 02 9391 9101
TTY 02 9391 9900
www.health.nsw.gov.au
