Australia has detected the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu for the first time, ending its status as the only continent previously free of the virus and prompting authorities to activate emergency response measures.
The country’s Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins, announced that the virus had been confirmed in a brown skua, a migratory seabird discovered in a remote area of Western Australia.
Laboratory testing by Australia’s national science agency confirmed the infection, while samples taken from a giant petrel found in the same region also returned a suspected positive result.
The discovery means the H5 strain of avian influenza has now been detected on every continent.
“Whilst disappointing, this is not unexpected, given the global spread of the H5 bird flu,” Ms Collins told reporters in Canberra.
She said authorities had so far found no evidence of infections among poultry flocks or mass deaths among wild birds.
“I can confirm there is still no evidence of any mass mortalities at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in any poultry,” she said.
An emergency meeting involving agriculture and animal health officials has already been held to coordinate a national response.
“We all knew we couldn’t be bird flu-free forever,” the minister added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the development as concerning but said Australia had been preparing for the eventual arrival of the virus.
“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,” Mr Albanese said.
The infected birds were found in a wilderness area about 630 kilometres south-east of Perth. Officials believe the virus may have entered Australia through migratory birds travelling from the sub-Antarctic region.
The H5 strain has caused major outbreaks worldwide, killing millions of poultry and wild birds and infecting several mammal species, including seals, cats, goats, alpacas and pigs.
Scientists have warned that the virus could pose a significant threat to Australia’s unique wildlife. Nearly half of the country’s wild bird species and more than 80% of its mammals are found nowhere else on Earth.
Australia’s Threatened Species Commissioner, Fiona Fraser, said authorities had developed plans to protect 35 vulnerable species through captive breeding programmes.
Among the species considered most at risk are the Tasmanian devil, black swan, little penguin and Australian sea lion.
“There could clearly be population-level impacts for our species,” Ms Fraser said.
The latest detection follows reports from Australian scientists this week that the H5 strain killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups on the remote Heard and McDonald Islands in the sub-Antarctic, raising fresh concerns about the potential impact of the disease on native wildlife.
Officials said surveillance efforts would continue as authorities seek to prevent the virus from spreading to poultry farms and vulnerable wildlife populations.
