By Doug Dingwall

Topic: Avian Influenza

Friday, June 26, 2026, at 5:11 am

Thirty years ago, Hong Kong responded to an H5N1 bird flu outbreak.

Countries that first dealt with H5N1 have lessons for Australia after cases were found in the south.

Asian nations have nearly 30 years of experience controlling the disease with culling, surveillance, and restrictions.

Other countries in the region have also vaccinated chickens and ducks.

Vinod Balasubramaniam said Asia's lesson for Australia is not a single formula.

Asia's experience showed that H5 bird flu was not controlled by one measure.

The most successful responses in Asia recognized that H5 is not just a poultry disease.

It is a disease of interfaces between wild birds, domestic birds, farms, markets, animal health, and public health.

Australia has detected H5 in wild seabirds in Western Australia and South Australia, but not in poultry.

Some of Asia's worst-affected countries have responded to H5N1 with mass culling, surveillance, and vaccination.

Mass culling

Hong Kong killed 1.5 million chickens in three days to eradicate the disease in 1997.

Other countries repeated this measure as bird flu spread through the region in the 2000s.

Andrew Pekosz said culling is the only tried method for containing H5N1 once it gets into farms.

South Korea has dealt with bird flu outbreaks since the 2000s.

South Korea killed millions of chickens and other poultry during outbreaks in the 2010s.

In Thailand, rapid mass culling of poultry at affected farms along with compensation for farmers was key.

But culling had limited success in some countries, including Vietnam, when compensation was too little.

Dr. Balasubramaniam warned that culling is effective but socially fragile.

If compensation is delayed or poorly trusted, farmers may hesitate to report disease.

Surveillance

Countries quick to detect H5 or other bird flu cases prevented the virus from becoming established.

Gina Samaan said responses to H5N1 require surveillance, and Japan, Korea, and Malaysia did this in 2003-2004.

Professor Pekosz said surveillance is crucial, and testing wild animals and poultry is necessary.

Poultry is a major industry in South-East Asian nations, including Vietnam.

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