Overview
- Australian authorities confirmed on Saturday that a contagious H5 avian influenza strain was found in a migratory brown skua in a remote part of Western Australia and that samples from a giant petrel returned a presumptive positive.
- The confirmed skua was discovered about 630 kilometres southeast of Perth, and the national science agency verified the result before an emergency animal-health and agriculture meeting was convened to plan a national response.
- Ministers say there are no signs so far of mass deaths in Australia or infections in poultry, and the government has said it will take measures to contain any spread to farms and wildlife.
- Conservation officials warned the virus could raise extinction risks for many endemic species and outlined a plan to boost captive-breeding for 35 vulnerable animals, including the Tasmanian devil and small penguin species.
- Scientists are investigating a likely subantarctic link after reports that H5 killed more than 13,000 baby elephant seals on Heard and McDonald Islands, and health agencies say human cases remain very rare but will be monitored.