Overview
- Federal testing confirmed on Friday that a greater crested tern found at Robe, South Australia, carried the H5 strain, marking the first confirmed infection in a native Australian seabird.
- Authorities reported the national tally has risen to 12 confirmed detections following two additional cases in South Australia and one in Western Australia, with another suspect in WA still being tested.
- South Australian officials have launched enhanced local surveillance around Robe while CSIRO and federal veterinary teams investigate how the tern contracted the virus from overlapping coastal ranges with migratory seabirds.
- A juvenile New Zealand fur seal in New South Wales is under observation as a possible mammal case, and New Zealand agencies have recorded an uptick in public reports to their exotic pest and disease hotline.
- Officials say there is no evidence of mass wildlife deaths, no spread to poultry or agriculture, and low risk to human health, while conservation groups warn that establishment in native fauna could threaten seabird colonies, marine mammals and rare species.