<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>330878</docID> <postdate>2024-10-14 09:42:31</postdate> <headline>Australia cannot stop deadly bird flu, minister warns</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-330879" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20210731001562409725-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="606" /></p> <caption>Extra funds have been announced to "prepare and protect" Australia from a deadly strain of bird flu. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Caitlin Powell</strong></span></p> <p><strong>With the arrival of a deadly bird flu in Australia deemed "unavoidable", the federal government has announced almost $100 million to "prepare and protect" the country.</strong></p> <p>While Australia is the only continent free of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, farmers have been warned to prepare for its arrival.</p> <p>The federal government has allocated an additional $95 million to prepare for H5N1, which has caused respiratory illness, reduction in egg production and sudden death among wild birds and some mammal species in other countries.</p> <p>"The awful reality of this disease is that - like the rest of the world - we will not be able to prevent its arrival," Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Sunday.</p> <p>Ms Plibersek said the impact the virus would have on species at risk of extinction was of particular concern.</p> <p>The Invasive Species Council's advocacy director Jack Gough welcomed the funding announcement but said Australia would not be able to stop the disease from arriving.</p> <p>He said the funding was a "down payment for preparedness" that would allow departments to "properly (prepare) to save wildlife and stop extinctions".</p> <p>"The Albanese government is finally investing a serious amount into preparation for what could be the worst environmental disaster in Australia's history," Mr Gough said.</p> <p>The federal funds include $35.9 million to boost environmental measures and protections for threatened and priority species.</p> <p>Another $37 million will be invested in protecting Australian agriculture, including boosting biosecurity and scientific capabilities, nationally co-ordinated communications and enhancing wild bird surveillance.</p> <p>The remaining $22.1 million will go towards increasing the number of ready-to-use pandemic flu vaccines in the National Medical Stockpile.</p> <p>The allocation builds on the more than $1 billion of additional biosecurity funding announced in the 2023 budget.</p> <p>Mr Gough said the investment marked a "monumental change in the way environment biosecurity threats are managed" but that more funding would be required if the flu was found in Australia.</p> <p>Known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1 primarily affects animals.</p> <p>However, of the 900 human infections recorded across the globe, more than half were fatal, the World Health Organisation says.</p> <p>The strain has reached every continent except Australia/Oceania but that is expected to change as the warmer months bring wild bird migrations.</p> <p>Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said "there is no room for complacency" regarding human infections.</p> <p>He said the interim Australian Centre for Disease Control was focused on ensuring Australia was "as prepared as possible".</p> <p> </p> </body>