Victoria’s sentinel chickens are to retire after nearly 50 years of detecting mosquito-borne viruses on the front line.
Announced by Minister for Agriculture, Mary-Anne Thomas, researchers from Agriculture Victoria partnered with the Department of Health to develop faster testing methods for the early detection of mosquito-borne viruses.
“This new molecular testing method enables mosquito samples to be screened directly and has been used in Victoria since 2019 to screen mosquitoes for Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus,” Ms Thomas said.
“Since 1974, Victoria’s sentinel chicken program has played a crucial role in providing the community with an early warning about emerging risks to human health from some mosquito-borne viruses,” she said.
“The chickens, housed in mosquito-prone areas along the Murray River and tributaries, have played a key part in the State’s mosquito-borne disease surveillance, relying on the natural circulation of mosquito-borne viruses.”
Ms Thomas said blood samples from the chickens were tested by scientists to assess if they had been exposed to the mosquito-borne viruses Murray Valley encephalitis virus and West Nile virus (subtype Kunjin).
The Minister said results from this form of testing could often take weeks, while the new method could provide results within days.
“The latest cohort of 175 chickens have now retired from the program, with many of them being rehomed in the local community by flock managers,” she said.
Ms Thomas said the testing activities were undertaken from mid-spring to mid-autumn each year to determine if the State was at increased risk of mosquito-borne viruses and if public health warnings were required.
