Bird Flu Outbreak Sparks Mass Cull of Farmed Chickens

Hundreds of thousands of birds at a country egg farm will be euthanised following an outbreak of bird flu, as a child is confirmed as Australia’s first human case of a lethal strain spreading around the world. The child, who returned to Victoria from India in March, experienced a “severe infection” after contracting the H5N1 strain but has made a full recovery, Victoria’s chief health officer confirmed on May 22. “This is the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza in Australia,” Clare Looker said. “The avian influenza virus was detected through further testing of positive influenza samples that takes place to detect novel or concerning flu virus strains, as part of Victoria’s enhanced surveillance system....