Australia has confirmed its first case of H5N1 bird flu, marking the virus’s arrival on every continent.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said the infection was detected in one seabird — a brown skua — found near Esperance along Western Australia’s south coast, inside Cape Le Grand National Park.
Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it was “responding as part of a nationally coordinated plan with the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and stakeholders across [Western Australia] to reduce the impact of this disease.”
In the United States, outbreaks of the virus have killed millions of birds and contributed to higher prices and supply disruptions at grocery stores, particularly for eggs.
Australia has recorded its first confirmed case of H5N1 bird flu, extending the virus’s reach to every continent. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
Transmission of H5N1 to humans remains uncommon.
“We all knew we couldn’t be bird flu-free forever,” Australia’s federal Agricultural Secretary Julie Collins said at a Saturday news conference.
Western Australia Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said at a Friday press conference: “As a result of WA’s established early detection system, appropriate action was taken, including isolating the bird and collecting samples for testing.”
She added, “this shows that Australia’s and Western Australia’s preparedness measures have worked. We are pleased to see the surveillance, and reporting system working as intended, with the bird reported through to DPIRD for further investigation.”
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A brown skua stands on a mossy stone on Macquarie Island, Sub Antarctic, administered by Tasmania, Australia. (Auscape/Universal Images Group)
By Saturday, Jarvis said further testing confirmed the strain that she said was consistent with bird flu found in the remote Australian territories of Heard Island and McDonald Islands near Antarctica, which devastated the wildlife there.
Last year, around 13,000 of a population of 17,000 elephant seal pups died there in just a few months after being exposed.
The outbreak in the U.S. has left millions of birds dead and has caused grocery store hikes and shortages, most notably with eggs. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The islands are wildlife sanctuaries.
“Importantly, there have been no detections in poultry and there is no evidence of mass mortality,” Jarvis said of the mainland case.
A second case of another migratory bird is also suspected near Esperance.
