Bird flu: will it arrive in Aotearoa and what do we need to do to minimise its impact?

The world is currently experiencing the alarming spread of a strain of bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1) that has resulted in the deaths of millions of wild birds and wild mammals across all continents, except Oceania. The strain has also resulted in the deaths of millions of poultry and a sub-lineage has emerged and spread in cattle in the United States. Humans have also been affected, with severe infections, including several fatalities.

In addition to the ‘panzootic’ strain, other highly pathogenic bird flu strains continue to emerge from low pathogenic strains through evolutionary ‘conversion’ events, most recently in Australia. New Zealand has never had a case of highly pathogenic bird flu, but this could change and we need to be prepared.

This talk will summarise the current global bird flu situation and the potential pandemic threat, and outline what needs to be done to protect global health and the health of New Zealanders, our rare and endangered wildlife, and our farming industries.

About the speaker

Nigel is Distinguished Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Public Health at Tāwharau Ora | School of Veterinary Science, Massey University. He was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2014 and made Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2023 for services to epidemiology. Nigel is also an Honorary Professor in the Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science at the University of Otago and was a member of the Ministry of Health COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group.