Australia Confirms 3rd H5 Bird Flu Case as WA Probes Positive Bird 700 Kilometers Away
Updated
Updated · ABC News · Jun 24
Australia Confirms 3rd H5 Bird Flu Case as WA Probes Positive Bird 700 Kilometers Away
3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Jun 24
Summary
South Australia confirmed Australia’s third H5 bird flu case in a giant petrel found at Knights Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula after two sick birds entered wildlife care on June 14.
Authorities said the SA infection was not linked to the two earlier WA cases near Esperance; genomic sequencing tied the initial WA virus to an outbreak on Heard and McDonald Islands.
Western Australia is also assessing another positive bird found near Dunsborough, about 700 kilometers northwest of Esperance, with CSIRO testing needed to confirm the result.
Federal and state officials said there is still no evidence of infection in poultry, agricultural production or widespread native wildlife deaths, and human health risk remains low.
Officials urged the public to avoid handling sick or dead birds and report them, while WA also tests a dead porpoise as rough weather could wash more seabirds ashore.