The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), a global veterinary authority, has said that as the disease spreads, the outlook for Australia, the US and Canada was “pessimistic”. So far all three countries have escaped an outbreak of bird flu.
"The probability of this strain appearing in Australia is very high. The possibility is also very high for the United States and Canada," OIE Director General Bernard Vallat told a French parliamentary commission.
Mr Vallat said Australia would likely see infection brought in via Indonesia.
Africa not prepared: WHO
Meanwhile the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said African nations are not committing enough money to help prevent the spread of the disease.
Speaking from Nairobi, WHO Director-General Lee Jong-Wook called for African nations to create a multi-billion-dollar fund to cover the economic losses from bird flu, potentially running into billions of dollars.
"Governments, including developing countries, should commit their own resources to deal with this problem... If there are shortfalls, these shortfalls clearly have to come from international partners," Mr Lee said.
He said African countries cannot depend on the US$1.9 billion (AU$2.6 billion) pledged last month by countries and organisations for a first-ever global war against the disease.
So far in Africa, the strain has been found in Nigeria, Egypt and Niger but the WHO chief said tackling the virus on the ground would be the biggest challenge.
"There are small backyard flocks of chicken... the dilemma is how can we convince the village people to get rid of apparently healthy chickens ... I do not imagine the village people will cull, sacrifice their dozens of chicken on a promise that a certain day, they will be compensated," Mr Lee said.
H5N1 in Albania
Albanian officials have reported a fresh outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus in that country with the discovery of an infected chicken 50 kilometres north of the Greek border.
On the news of the outbreak agricultural authorities in neighbouring Greece immediately called for the government to increase preventative measures to "meticulously disinfect all vehicles and passengers' shoes arriving from Albania".
Greek officials have also demanded the "seizure and destruction of animal products arriving from Albania for private consumption."