Mandurah Wildlife Team Attend Avian Flu Workshop

Mandurah Wildlife Centre Volunteers Trying Their PPE On.

Several supervisors and the Centre Manager attended a workshop organised by Murdoch University in concert with the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development aimed at informing interested parties on preparing for an Avian Flu outbreak in Australia.

Australia and New Zealand remain the only landmasses on the planet currently free of this highly contagious virus. The general consensus is that it is not a case of if but rather when it will arrive on our shores.

The virus has a devastating effect on wildlife and domestic animals and there are a number of cases of animal to human transmission, though at the time of writing there have been no human-to-human transmission.

The workshop covered symptoms to look out for in infected animals and methodologies for managing such an outbreak. A key issue with Personal Protective Equipment is not just how to put it on but also how to take it off. It is anticipated there will be a need for a number of public forums to warn and prepare the Australian public on how to respond and react to potentially sick animals.

In a nutshell, the key is:

 Avoid. Do not pick up a sick or dead animal

 Record what you see, the location and take photos or videos

 Report any unusual sickness or mass mortality event to the Emergency Animal

Disease Hotline 1800 675 888