Bird flu has reached New Zealand – what this means and what comes next

Manuel Romaris/Getty Images The first detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 in New Zealand marks an important milestone, but not an unexpected one. Since the virus reached Australia last month, and as it continued its global spread, scientists and government agencies have been preparing for the possibility that it would eventually arrive here. For now, this appears to be a single detection, but ongoing surveillance will be essential to determine whether additional…