Bega Valley Shire Council showed a biosecurity warning sign it was using in the area. Photo: Denise Dion.
Merimbula and Narooma have been identified as on the frontline of the H5 bird flu outbreak in NSW with government officials holding the first community meeting of its kind in Merimbula this week to provide information and answer residents’ questions.
Bega Valley Shire had six bird flu events by 4 September, with four in Merimbula, one in Eden and one in Bermagui, all of which involved Greater Crested Terns, while Eurobodalla had five, all in Narooma, four of which involved Greater Crested Terns and one which was a Southern Giant Petrel.
Luke Pope of the Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development (DPIRD) warned there could be a range of impacts such as social amenity disruption due to sick or dead wildlife; potentially egg and poultry shortages, although there were currently no detections in the NSW poultry flock; transport disruptions due to restricted movements; and adverse impacts on the mental health of the community.
Merimbula and Narooma are tourism locations popular for their wildlife and environment and Mr Pope said it was important to provide clear and reliable information to visitors to maintain visitor confidence.
“Misinformation is a risk. We need to keep the source of truth,” he said, urging people to take their information from government websites rather than social media.
He said early reporting of sick or dead wildlife was very important along with enhanced surveillance to support both wildlife protection and tourism continuity. But Mr Pope stressed that people should not touch dead or sick birds or animals.
While it is difficult to predict how the bird flu may impact the region with any certainty, there are some naturally reoccurring events which will come into play such as the migration of shearwaters starting soon.
Anton Forsyth, Southern NSW Local Health District, Luke Pope, DPIRD, and Michael Phelan, NPWS at the Merimbula community meeting. Photo: Denise Dion.
“Shearwaters naturally experience die-offs during the migration and not all dead shearwaters indicate H5 bird flu but there could be higher numbers, a geographic spread and other species affected,” Mr Pope said, asking dog owners to keep animals on a lead to prevent interactions with infected birds.
The Greater Crested Terns are due to start nesting soon and migrate to nearby islands such as Montague. The proximity of the nesting birds to each other means the virus could affect large numbers of birds.
“This is going to be particularly scary for this community and Narooma. There is a potential for mass mortality events and the mental health impacts could be big,” Mr Pope said.
Michael Phelan of the National Parks and Wildlife Service said some of the species most at risk were little penguins, seabirds, black swans and birds of prey.
“Some species do survive and they build up antibodies,” Mr Phelan said.
“Black swans have no immunity. There has been no single extinction event of a species (in any of the other countries affected by bird flu) although some have been badly affected and will take decades to recover,” Mr Phelan explained in response to a question from the audience.
“Birds that do social distancing will do better. This is going to be with us for years and it’s going to be hard to watch but some species will survive.”
Anton Forsyth of Southern NSW Local Health District said there was a low risk to human health.
“It doesn’t spread person to person but there’s a lot we don’t know. The risk to humans is from interactions with dead or sick birds or animals. If you do have contact, monitor for symptoms. It will occur within 10 days,” Mr Forsyth said.
As the removal of dead birds or animals is the responsibility of the land owner, individuals will have to dispose of carcasses on their land. Bird flu can be caught through unprotected contact with infected animals or birds, touching something with the virus on it and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth, breathing in dust or droplets that contain the virus or if liquid containing the virus splashes into your eyes, nose or mouth.
As a minimum, disposable gloves, face masks, eye protection and footwear that can be cleaned, such as rubber boots, were recommended. People were asked to ensure they did not leave carcasses where pets or children could touch them, and to bury them at a depth of 60 cm to ensure animals didn’t dig them up. Carcasses can also be disposed of by double bagging them and putting them in a red bin.
Mr Pope reassured swimmers that the viral load in open water would be very low. He said enclosed waters that were subject to multiple bird flu events might be different and might have to be closed.
Property owners using rainwater tanks were advised to install a first flush diverter to reduce contaminants from entering the tank from roof runoff and to regularly clean roofs and gutters.
The virus thrives best in cool and damp conditions and can last for days in cool, damp areas and longer in a carcass. Hot and dry conditions shorten the virus’ life.
Further information: www.dpird.nsw.gov.au/ai; Online reporting form; Latest data.
Emergency Animal Disease Hotline: 1800 675 888.
Original Article published by Denise Dion on About Regional.
