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Australia confirms first case of bird flu as virus reaches every continent
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in Australia for the first time, found in a migratory brown skua in Western Australia, marking the virus's presence on every continent.
- A second suspected case involves a southern petrel found exhausted on an Esperance beach, though no mass bird mortalities have been reported so far.
- Authorities are conducting further tests to determine if the virus has spread to other animal populations, with emergency response measures already in place.
- The H5N1 strain was previously detected in Australia's remote Heard and McDonald Islands in October 2023, where it caused significant mortality among seals and penguins.
- Bird flu, caused by the H5N1 virus that emerged in China in the late 1990s, primarily infects birds but can also affect other animals such as foxes, seals, and otters.
