High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H7N8 has been detected on poultry properties in northern Victoria. This strain is different to those that impacted poultry farms in Vic, NSW and ACT during 2024.
The HPAI H7 strain detected in Victoria is not the HPAI H5 (H5 bird flu) strain that is impacting wild birds, mammals (both wild and domestic) and poultry overseas. HPAI H7 viruses that have been detected in Australia, including in February 2025, have a distinctly different epidemiology to HPAI H5 clade 2.3.4.4b (H5 bird flu).
For more information on the current HPAI H7 outbreak in poultry in Victoria, see the Outbreak webpage and Agriculture Victoria: High pathogenicity avian influenza.
There have been no reports of wild bird deaths in relation to the HPAI H7 outbreak in Victoria. Wildlife Health Australia supports wild bird surveillance for avian influenza by coordinating the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird (NAIWB) Steering Group. NAIWB members regularly undertake testing of wild birds for avian influenza. Since 2005, over 154,000 tests have been undertaken and no HPAI viruses have been identified in Australian wild birds. This surveillance does continue to show presence of a wide range of low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) virus strains in Australian wild birds, without signs of disease. Sometimes LPAI viruses can spill over from wild birds into poultry populations and may then mutate into HPAI strains within poultry. Worldwide, HPAI H7 viruses are very rarely detected in wild birds. See also WHA update on avian influenza and wild birds, WHA Fact Sheet: Avian influenza and wild birds or Wild Bird Surveillance for more information.
Any biosecurity action must be undertaken in line with current legislation and government legal orders or advice. This includes orders relating to the current HPAI H7 outbreak.
In the current situation, where HPAI H5 clade 2.3.4.4b (H5 bird flu) has not been detected in Australia, please continue to practice good biosecurity and report sick and dead wild birds as per our advice document for veterinarians and other animal health professionals. See the National Wildlife Biosecurity Guidelines and the National Zoo Biosecurity Manual for more information on general biosecurity practices to manage infectious disease risk in wildlife, domestic animals and humans.
Any unusual illness or death in wild birds should be reported via the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
Avian influenza viruses do not normally infect humans. Rarely, some strains are associated with disease in humans, ranging from mild illness to severe disease and even death (see Australian Department of Health and Aged Care). In Australia there is a very low risk of people becoming infected with avian influenza viruses through normal contact with healthy birds.
For more information on high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses in general, see the WHA High pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 global outbreak incident information page High pathogenicity avian influenza (H5 bird flu) which provides links to information sheets, videos, toolkits and other resources.