Australia detects first case of contagious H5 bird flu

Australia has detected the H5 strain of bird flu for the first time, marking the global spread of the highly contagious virus to every continent. The confirmation came from the country's agriculture minister, Julie Collins, on Saturday.

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Whilst disappointing, this is not unexpected, given the global spread of the H5 bird flu.

The disease was found in a brown skua, a migratory sea bird, in remote Western Australia. Samples from a second sick bird, a giant petrel, also showed a suspected positive result. Australia was the last continent without a confirmed H5 detection, a virus known for devastating poultry and wild bird populations.

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I can confirm there is still no evidence of any mass mortalities at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in any poultry.

Collins reassured the public that there is currently no evidence of mass mortalities or infection in any domestic poultry. However, an emergency meeting of animal health and agriculture officials has been scheduled to formulate a national response. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged the detection is concerning and pledged government measures to contain the spread, noting that the virus's arrival via migratory birds was anticipated given its global prevalence.

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We all knew we couldn’t be bird flu-free forever.