Six more birds flagged for testing after third suspected H5 bird flu case detected in WA - The West Australian

Western Australia is on high alert as six more birds are undergoing urgent testing for H5 avian influenza, following the detection of a third suspected case in a southern Giant Petrel near Quindalup. This comes barely days after the deadly H5N1 strain wa confirmed in Australia for the first time, detected in two migratory seabirds near Esperance, raising significant concerns for wildlife and the country's vital poultry industry. The current outbreak marks Australia's entry into a global battle against H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain that has ravaged bird populations and spilled over into mammals worldwide since 2020, making Australia the last continent to report its presence. While preliminary tests for the Quindalup bird showed H5 influenza, confirmatory testing at CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness is underway to identify the exact H5N1 strain. This rapid spread is now a nationwide concern, with South Australia reporting its first confirmed H5N1 case in a giant petrel on June 24. This development has prompted Australia's largest poultry producer, Ingham's Group, to lock down farms in WA as a precautionary biosecurity measure, even though no poultry infections have been reported in the state. Authorities like the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in WA are intensifying surveillance, responding to a surge in public reports of sick and deceased birds to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline. The Australian Government has already committed over $113 million towards bolstering national response coordination, protecting threatened species, and increasing pandemic flu vaccine stockpiles. While human-to-human transmission risk remains low, the focus is squarely on preventing further spread into domestic bird populations and other wildlife, underscoring the critical need for robust biosecurity measures and public vigilance.