Canberra, June 20: The Australian government has confirmed the first case of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza found in a migratory bird in Western Australia.
According to a report by the Xinhua news agency, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Julie Collins announced on Saturday in Canberra that testing by the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness confirmed that a brown skua found in the southern WA National Park on June 14 had died from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.
This marks the first confirmed case of the highly pathogenic strain on the Australian mainland, which has spread globally since 2020, resulting in the deaths of millions of birds and other animals.
On Thursday, another bird, a giant petrel, was found sick nearby and has since been quarantined.
The Australian government had previously pledged AUD 113 million (USD 79.2 million) in funding to prepare for a potential outbreak of the H5N1 strain.
Collins stated on Saturday, “We have seen what has happened overseas, and we have learned from it.”
Speaking alongside Collins, Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson urged Australians to avoid contact with sick or dead birds and to report any sightings to the animal disease emergency hotline.
Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser mentioned that officials would soon determine whether this strain has spread within the Australian population.
Australia was previously the only continent where the H5N1 bird flu strain had not been detected. This strain can spread rapidly among poultry and wild bird populations, although human cases remain relatively rare.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu was found last October in Australia’s remote Heard and McDonald Islands, located in the southern Indian Ocean.
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