Australia has detected its first case of the highly contagious H5 strain of bird flu, marking the first time the virus has been detected on the continent.
Australian Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said Saturday (20) the virus was found in a migratory brown skua in remote Western Australia, with the result confirmed by the country’s national science agency. A second bird, a giant petrel found in the same area, has also returned a suspected positive result.
The discovery means the H5 strain has now been detected on every continent. Australia had previously been the only continent free of the virus.
“Whilst disappointing, this is not unexpected, given the global spread of the H5 bird flu,” Collins told reporters.
She said there was currently no evidence of mass bird deaths or infections among poultry in Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the development as concerning and said authorities were prepared to respond to contain the spread of the disease.
“This is something that has happened through migratory birds, and has happened by definition around the world, and this is why we are preparing for this,” he said.
The confirmed case was detected about 630 kilometres southeast of Perth, with officials investigating whether the virus arrived through migratory birds from the sub-Antarctic region. (Newswire/CNA)