Australia faces bird flu surge with over 100 cases, high risk to wildlife

Australia is grappling with an escalating outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu, which has now spread to five states and resulted in over 100 confirmed cases.

The virus has led to the first documented mass mortality event among Australian wildlife, occurring on an island in the south-east of South Australia. The federal government's risk analysis has identified 386 native bird and mammal species as being at high to extreme risk from the H5N1 strain.

Environment Minister Murray Watt expressed concern about the potential impact on mammals such as seals, sea lions, and dolphins, noting that these species are highly vulnerable. He cited a mass mortality event of baby seals on Heard Island, an Australian sub-Antarctic territory, as a distressing example of the virus's devastating effect.

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That will be distressing for people when we start to see that here in Australia. One of the sub-Antarctic islands that Australia owns, Heard Island, we have seen a mass mortality of baby seals there.

Overseas, H5N1 has already caused significant die-offs, including at least 30,000 sea lions infected in South America and an estimated 17,000 southern elephant seal deaths in Argentina. Seabird ecologist Simon Gorta highlighted the unprecedented impact on these species, emphasizing that the added threat of a serious disease poses a major conservation concern on top of existing pressures.

National biosecurity measures for poultry began on July 31, with state and territory governments leading surveillance and biosecurity advice. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is coordinating the national response. The public is urged to act as the "eyes on the ground" for authorities, playing a critical role in monitoring and reporting potential cases.

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That sort of impact hasn't been seen with bird flu before in these species, and they're highly vulnerable as it is. There's a number of other threats that these species face, so to have a serious disease on top of all of that is a major conservation concern.