Australia's first human case of bird flu detected

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Looker said the child contracted the severe infection in India and was unwell in March 2024 but has made a full recovery.

"There is no evidence of transmission in Victoria and the chance of additional human cases is very low as avian influenza does not easily spread between people," she said.

Contact tracing has not identified any further cases of the H5N1 infection, she said.

The case was detected by Victoria's disease surveillance system that detects and monitors novel or concerning flu virus strains.

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The news comes during a global outbreak of bird flu affecting birds and other animals.

The Department of Health said it was supporting Agriculture Victoria in responding to an outbreak of avian influenza in birds at a poultry farm near Meredith in regional Victoria.

Dr Looker said testing had confirmed the poultry farm outbreak was not related to the human case.

The Department of Health recommended that people travelling to areas affected by avian influenza should follow a few steps.

Avoid poultry farms and live bird "wet" markets, avoid contact with wild or domesticated birds, wash hands thoroughly after handling birds and uncooked poultry products such as meat or eggs and ensure that poultry or poultry products are cooked thoroughly before eating.

"Transmission to humans is very rare, with a small number of human cases of H5N1 reported globally, resulting in death in a number of cases," Dr Looker said.

"This is the first confirmed human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Australia, and the first time the H5N1 strain has been detected in a person or animal in Australia."