bird flu | DD News

July 15, 2026 11:58 AM

New Zealand detects first H5N1 bird flu case, starts vaccination of endangered species

New Zealand reported its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu after a migratory seabird found on a beach near the capital, Wellington, tested positive, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said on Wednesday. The case in a brown skua seabird comes after the virus was detected last month in Australia, the last continent to report the virus. The virulent H5 strain has spread through wild bird and mammal populations since 2021, killing millions and infecting poultry and dairy farms as well as ...

November 4, 2025 1:17 PM

Japan confirms season’s third bird flu outbreak

An outbreak of Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed at a poultry farm in the central Japanese prefecture of Niigata, local authorities said on Tuesday. The prefectural government said it has confirmed the outbreak at the farm in the city of Tainai, with a total of 630,000 egg-laying chickens to be culled. Officials said that the Niigata farm reported abnormalities on Monday morning, including an increase in the number of chicken deaths. A preliminary virus test returned p...

September 16, 2024 3:57 PM

Bird Flu: Odisha govt to cull 20,000 birds in response to avian influenza outbreak

A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Pipli town of of Odisha's Puri district, with detection of the H5N1 avian influenza in several poultry farms, prompting authorities to take initiate containment measures. As part of containment measures, over 20,000 birds are set to be culled to prevent the spread of the virus to other regions. The Animal Husbandry Department has initiated the culling process, which is expected to continue for several days. Local officials are ensuring that all protocol...

July 1, 2024 4:02 PM

Scientists wary of bird flu pandemic ‘unfolding in slow motion’

Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen leading disease experts. Many of them have been monitoring the new subtype of H5N1 avian flu in migratory birds since 2020. But the spread of the virus to 129 dairy herds in 12 U.S. states signals a change that could bring it closer to becoming transmissible between humans. Infections also have b...

June 17, 2024 1:33 PM

Bird flu spreads to seventh Australian poultry farm

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has spread to a seventh poultry farm near Melbourne, the government of Australia's Victoria state said on Monday. Six of the properties have an H7N3 flu strain and a seventh has an H7N9 strain, it said. Neither is the H5N1 type of avian flu that has infected billions of wild and farmed animals globally and raised fears of human transmission. "Restricted and control areas are in place surrounding all infected premises," Victoria's agriculture department said in...

June 8, 2024 11:46 AM

WHO says bird flu case in Australia followed travel to Kolkata, India

The World Health Organization on Friday said the child with H5N1 bird flu reported by Australia last month had traveled to Kolkata, India, and the family said they did not have any known exposure to infected people or animals while there. The WHO said on Friday that the child, Australia's first case of H5N1 in a person, had traveled to Kolkata from Feb. 12 to Feb. 19 and returned to Australia on March 1. The child was hospitalized on March 2 and remained there for more than two weeks. No close...

June 6, 2024 10:48 AM

Person with bird flu died in Mexico, WHO says

A person with prior health complications who had contracted bird flu died in Mexico in April and the source of exposure to the virus was unknown, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. WHO said the current risk of bird flu virus to the general population is low. The 59-year-old resident of the State of Mexico had been hospitalized in Mexico City and died on April 24 after developing a fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea and general discomfort, WHO said. "Although the source...

September 16, 2024 5:05 PM

Experts warn lethal bird flu pandemic could be ‘100 times worse’ than COVID-19

Experts have issued a warning about a potential bird flu pandemic that could be “100 times worse than COVID,” after the detection of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in a person from Texas who had contact with infected dairy cows. The spread of bird flu is a serious concern for governments and the poultry industry due to the risk of human transmission and potential devastation it could cause to flocks. Though the number of bird flu outbreaks have been fewer this season, it has spread fas...