Wild bird monitoring to help predict zoonotic disease risk
Australia’s largest sample collection of wild birds has been established by experts across the country, including a Deakin University researcher. This is what is shown about zoonotic diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest zoonotic disease – caused by germs that spread from animals to humans. But an outbreak of monkeypox and Japanese encephalitis means keeping up with viral traffic has never been more important. Experts say it is only a matter of time before another new infectious virus outbreak strikes. A new virus that combines human influenza and avian influenza is a prime candidate for the next pandemic. Bird flu is causing problems globally and in Australia. In 2020 alone, nearly half a million Victorian birds were culled following several outbreaks involving three strains of the virus. While avian influenza viruses generally attach themselves to infecting birds, they sometimes make potentially lethal jumps to other animals, including humans. Fortunately, research to an