Bird Flu, also called avian influenza, or H5N1, is a virus that infects birds. It can also infect some mammals, including cats and cattle, and in rare cases people.

For birds and many mammals, it is a very serious illness. Most animals that catch it become severely unwell, and many die.

How it spreads:

Contact with an infected bird's saliva, droppings, mucus or breathing droplet. Breathing in dust, feathers or droppings from a contaminated area. Contact with contaminated shoes, clothing, equipment, feed or water

What about people?

The risk to people is low. Human infections are uncommon and usually happen after close contact with infected birds, for example, handling sick or dead birds without protection. Spread from one person to another is rare.

The simple protections are the same ones that protect your animals: 

Don't handle sick or dead birds, wash your hands well after any contact with birds or their environment.

All bird species can be infected. The risk is highest in:

• Wild birds — ducks, geese, swans and other waterfowl; seabirds and shorebirds; birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and owls; and scavengers such as crows and ravens
• Poultry — chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and quail, including backyard flocks
• Pet birds — parrots, finches, canaries, pigeons and doves
• Mammals — cats especially, plus cattle and some wildlife. Dogs are relatively resistant.
• People — possible, but uncommon

Bird flu usually shows up in one of two ways — breathing problems, or signs affecting the brain and nervous system (wobbliness, tremors, odd behaviour). Signs can come on fast.

Wild and pet birds

Parrots, finches, canaries, pigeons and doves can all be affected, watch out for the following signs:

• Can't stand, walk or fly properly
• Droopy, or puffed up and hunched
• Breathing trouble — panting, sneezing, open mouth
• Head or neck held at an unusual angle
• Sudden death, especially several birds in one place
• In chickens, ducks and other poultry
• Sudden drop in egg laying
• Quiet, not eating or drinking
• Swollen head, face or legs
• Purple or bruised looking comb, wattles, feet or skin
• Breathing trouble or runny nose
• Sudden death

In cats, dogs and other mammals

Cats are at high risk. They can become very unwell very quickly, and the illness is often fatal. Cats most often catch it by hunting, catching or eating infected birds — or from raw meat and raw milk products. Dogs appear to be far less affected.

Watch out for the following signs:

• Weakness or unusual tiredness
• Trouble walking or breathing
• Tremors, seizures, or walking in circles
• Drooling or runny nose
• Sudden severe illness, or sudden death

Bird Flu spreads quickly and kills a high proportion of the animals it infects. If it takes hold, it can:

• Wipe out large numbers of wild birds and wild mammals
• Devastate backyard flocks and commercial poultry farms, affecting egg and chicken supply
• Spread to other animals, including much-loved pets
• Cause illness in people, and real stress and grief for owners, farmers and wildlife carers

Early reporting is the single most useful thing the public can do. It's how outbreaks get contained before they spread.

Call straight away if you see:

• Several birds sick or dead in the same place
• A bird that suddenly can't stand, walk or fly
• A cat with tremors, wobbliness, seizures or sudden severe illness after contact with birds
• A sudden drop in egg laying, or unexplained deaths in your flock

Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline: 1800 675 888 (24 hours, free call) Condamine Vets: 07 4667 1176

If you find a sick or dead wild bird:

• Call us on 07 4667 1176 before bringing any wild bird to the clinic — we'll tell you what to do next.
• Don't touch it. Don't try to move it, feed it or take it home.
• Keep children, dogs and cats well away.
• Call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline: 1800 675 888 (24 hours, free). Especially important if you see several sick or dead birds in one place.
• If you've already handled a bird, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and wash or bag the clothes and shoes you were wearing.

If your pet bird or backyard flock seems unwell:

• Keep them separate from other birds and from your other pets.
• Don't visit other properties with birds, and don't let others handle yours.
• Wash your hands before and after handling birds. Keep a pair of shoes just for the coop.
• Phone us on 07 4667 1176. Don't bring the bird inside the clinic — wait in your car and a vet will check the bird outside.

If you have several birds sick or dying at once, also call 1800 675 888.

Call us straight away on 07 4667 1176 and tell us about the bird contact — it changes how we prepare for your visit.

• Keep them away from other animals and wash your hands after handling them.
• Don't feed raw poultry or raw milk products.
• Simple ways to lower the risk
• Keep pet birds and poultry away from wild birds, and their feed and water covered
• Keep cats indoors or contained, especially if wild birds are dying nearby
• Don't feed raw poultry or unpasteurised milk to pets
• Clean and disinfect shoes, equipment and hands between properties
• Report anything unusual early — a phone call costs nothing