Avian influenza is the latest outbreak causing headaches on Australia's shores, but there's hope a new program designed to support our regional neighbours could stop agriculture's next potential pandemic before it starts.
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The CSIRO is partnering with governments across the Pacific and South-east Asia to help improve both their preparation for and response to epidemics and emergent diseases which threaten human and animal health.
A series of projects across Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Fiji and the Philippines will bolster community health, but are also an investment in biosecurity at home.
"What helps them helps Australia to be better prepared," said Dr Chris Rodwell, who leads the international program at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP).
More than 75 per cent of emerging infectious diseases around the world are zoonotic, meaning they have the potential to jump from an animal to a human.
And the number of zoonotic disease outbreaks - such as COVID-19, Japanese encephalitis and bird flu - has increased by 300pc in the last 30 years.
But conditions such as foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, which only rarely or never manage to make the leap from livestock to humans, will also be under the microscope.
Dr Rodwell said there was a focus on "high-consequence pathogens" and countering diseases at the "human-animal interface" which could affect the agricultural sector.
"That puts less pressure, so to speak, on our biosecurity system, and makes sure that we can maintain strong borders and the confidence that these diseases won't get into our livestock system," he said.
Restrictions on travellers from Indonesia were eased earlier this year as foot-and-mouth cases stabilised in the country, but the situation served as a reminder for Australia and its neighbours to stay on top of animal disease.
The ACDP has a long history working with regional governments. The new projects include developing a network of animal health laboratories in the Asia-Pacific, improving diagnostic and leadership capacities, and training personnel in better biorisk management.
High-risk locations in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and the Philippines, such as wildlife markets, will also see testing for novel viruses and emerging diseases.
There's hope the projects will have flow-on benefits beyond health and biosecurity, delivering a shot of confidence for trade and tourism.
Almost $25 million will be spent on the program, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade contributing $15 million in funding.
The CSIRO itself will make up an additional $9.2 million - as well as access to researchers and facilities, which Dr Rodwell described as an "exceptionally valuable" investment.
Dr Rodwell said projects which helped consolidate laboratory capabilities across the "geographically disparate" Pacific nations or upskill scientists in Indonesia would have a big impact for everyone.
"I don't think you can underestimate how important it is for sharing of expertise, resources, and then training that you want to effectively endure as well," he said.
"The work that we're doing is not fly-in, fly-out. It's working with long-term relationships with these countries and we're in this for the long haul - and that's where you get the best benefit and the most sustainable benefit for the biosecurity of the region."
Funding for the current suite of projects will expire in June 2027, but it's unlikely the work will end there.
Dr Rodwell said efforts to combat domestic diseases, such as the national containment lab's work on avian influenza in Victoria and NSW, went hand-in-hand with Australia's work overseas.
"Once you've got these relationships in place... particularly in areas where the science is evolving, is really, really powerful," Dr Rodwell said.
"We need as many clever people and as many countries working on some of these challenges together."
