Over the last few months, a new wave of avian flu has been raging across the world. 

In the United States, the strain has been found in cows, and it has also reached far-flung Antarctica, infecting penguins, seals and polar bears. 

So far, transmission to humans has been extremely rare, and Australia remains the only continent in the world to keep the virus out.

But last week, health authorities confirmed a Victorian child had been critically ill with another strain of the virus, becoming Australia’s first-ever case of human bird flu.

Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on the alarming new cases of bird flu in Australia. And what the risks are to us.