Message from MPI for bird owners - be ready for bird flu

A strain of bird flu has been spreading around the world since 2020, affecting both domesticated and wild birds. Although New Zealand has never had a case of bird flu, this strain has the potential to significantly impact our poultry sector, wildlife and biodiversity if it arrives here.

This strain of the disease is spread by wild birds, meaning it’s unlikely that bird flu could be kept out of New Zealand or eradicated once it establishes in wild birds. But we can reduce the impact by being prepared.

In countries where the current H5N1 strain of bird flu is present, human infection has been rare. Generally, it's only occurred in people who have had a lot of contact with infected birds or other infected animals. The risk to human health is currently considered low.

The MPI website has detailed information about bird flu as well as resources you can download – check it out at: https://bit.ly/bird-flu-be-ready