Summarised by Centrist
Epidemiologist Michael Baker says the arrival of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in Australia should prompt New Zealand to update its pandemic plan and reverse its rejection of the World Health Organization’s revised health regulations.
The warning follows confirmation that a migratory seabird in Western Australia carried the same H5N1 strain that has killed millions of birds and some mammals overseas since late 2021.
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said New Zealand was well prepared and that the virus remained a low risk to human health and was not a food safety risk.
He said the main threat was to native species and poultry flocks, and urged people to avoid sick or dead wildlife, clean outdoor gear and report signs of illness in birds.
Baker agreed H5N1 is not currently an immediate pandemic threat because it does not show a strong ability to spread between humans.
“It’s not showing any significant ability to transmit between people, and that is really the most important single feature required for any pandemic threat,” he said.
But he said most pandemics start in animals and diseases can change over time, making preparation essential.
Baker said New Zealand should invest more in pandemic preparedness and reverse its rejection of the
WHO’s latest international health regulation changes.
“We need to reverse that rejection as soon as possible,” he said, arguing New Zealand was not supporting global efforts to prevent pandemic threats.
Editor’s note: Baker makes one point worth emphasising: H5N1 is not currently an immediate human pandemic threat because it is not showing significant human-to-human transmission. That undercuts unnecessary panic.
But his warning should still be read in context. He is using a real biosecurity issue to argue for a specific political outcome: New Zealand reversing its rejection of the World Health Organization’s revised health regulations.
Readers should distinguish between the health risk itself and the political prescription being attached to it. New Zealand can take bird flu seriously without accepting that greater alignment with WHO rules is the only responsible answer.
