Australia’s latest H5 bird flu case confirmed as test comes back

Australia’s latest case of the deadly new strain of bird flu has been officially confirmed following tests.

Authorities in South Australia have confirmed a sick migratory bird found at Hardwicke Bay on the York Peninsula does have the H5 strain.

The giant petrel was reported to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline, with initial tests detecting the deadly new H5 strain.

These have now been confirmed as positive, taking the total number of cases in SA to two — and the total in Australia to eight.

Authorities in the state said the discovery came following “the largest aerial survey undertaken in more than five decades” of the state.

However, they said the survey, which combed through the state’s coastline, islands and reefs, found no evidence of widespread impact from the new strain.

Acting Premier Kyam Maher said the survey was unlike any other done in South Australia.

“By investing in large-scale, rapid surveys, we are improving the information needed to identify risks early, guide timely decisions and protect both our environments and the sectors that depend on it,” they said.

“The latest aerial surveillance represents the biggest co-ordinated assessment of our coastal and island wildlife in more than 40 years.”

It comes as concerns around the impact of the latest avian flu strand continue to grow.

Currently, five cases have been confirmed in WA, while a single case has been confirmed in NSW in a petrel found late last week.

South Australia’s industries minister Clare Scriven said it was “disappointing” that the case had been found.

“The surveillance we are undertaking is critical to get a broader understanding of where these birds are being seen, and I thank the public for reporting sick or dead birds to us,” she said.

“Every report is reviewed and if there is any suspicion of H5 bird flu we send teams to collect the birds for testing.”

Skye Fruean, chief veterinary officer at the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, said preparations had been ongoing for a number of years.

“The new suspect case at Hardwicke Bay is considered isolated as there were no other impacted birds in the same area.” Dr Fruean said.

“This is encouraging as there are still no signs yet of spread of H5 bird flu into native wildlife.”

Meanwhile, a sigh of relief has been breathed in NSW after it emerged that a sick cormorant found over the weekend did not have the strain.

The bird was discovered at Narrabeen and underwent tests at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institution, which came back as negative.

NSW chief veterinary officer Jo Coombe said the negative result was being reported due to “significant interest” in the case.

“Since the response was stood up on June 19, many investigations have been conducted relating to sick or dead birds and all have come back negative for H5, apart from one confirmed giant petrel near Hawks Nest on the weekend,” she said.

“There are no detections in poultry or evidence of spread to local wildlife or large-scale deaths in any animals.

“The risk to human health remains low.”