The Government has announced there are now 74 confirmed cases of the H5 strain of bird flu in Australia.
The majority of the cases are in South Australia, where a group of sick and dead birds were recently found at Baudin Rocks.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said a test has since confirmed these birds were infected with H5 bird flu.
This means it is the first “mass mortality event” from the H5 bird flu for Australian birds.
Multiple cases have now been confirmed in seagulls, signifying a broader geographic transmission of the virus.
Bird flu
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Officials have been on alert for the H5 strain, which kills birds rapidly and is easily transmitted between them, since it began spreading across the globe in 2021.
It reached Australia’s mainland in June of this year.
It’s also responsible for the recent deaths of thousands of elephant seal pups in the sub-Antarctic Australian territory of Heard Island.
While the virus can be deadly for animals, the risk to humans is generally considered low both in terms of transmission and health impact, chief veterinary officer of NSW Jo Coombe told reporters in July.
“Australians should expect to see more spread, and larger numbers now of wildlife being affected,” Collins said.
“We can’t stop the spread of H5 bird flu among birds or among mammals... you can’t stop native and wild birds flying around,” Watt said.
