A public health expert says it's important to be prepared for the arrival of bird flu

The Government's seeking a pre-pandemic vaccine supply - that could be used if an avian flu, such as the highly pathogenic H5N1, were to pose a significant threat here.

AUT Associate Professor of Public Health's Nadia Charania says the viruses circulate widely among birds, and now a wider range of mammals.

She says the concern is they occasionally infect humans - and in these cases, mortality has been very high.