Overview
- A dead brown skua found in remote southwest Western Australia tested positive for H5 and was confirmed by Agriculture Minister Julie Collins on Saturday as the country’s first mainland case.
- Authorities say further laboratory work is under way to identify the exact strain and there is currently no evidence of infections in poultry on the mainland.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the finding as concerning and officials have moved to boost surveillance, ask the public to report sick or dead wildlife, and activate response plans.
- Scientists link the detection to Southern Ocean migratory movements and warn it raises acute risks to vulnerable seabird colonies and Australian fur seals and could increase pressure on coastal wildlife.
- The wider H5 panzootic has spread globally since 2021 and has already spilled into mammals and livestock, including hundreds of affected dairy herds in the United States, which informs Australia’s stepped-up biosecurity effort.