Australia’s chief veterinary officer announced on Wednesday that the highly dangerous H5 bird flu virus has begun to spread locally among wild birds.
For many years, Australia remained the only continent without the H5 strain, which causes severe sickness and death in poultry and wild birds worldwide.
“This news of some local transmission may mean we start to see wider spread among wild birds,” Chief government veterinary officer Beth Cookson told reporters.
“Once the virus becomes widespread in wild bird populations, it will not be possible to avoid losses in susceptible wildlife.”
Scientists detected the first Australian instance in a migrating gull in June and warned that the virus would soon infect local bird populations.
Testing revealed that the virus was spreading among greater crested tern populations living along South Australia’s coast.
Cookson said, “While this is a concerning development, it is not unexpected for us to see local transmission in birds that share a coastal habitat.”
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said there was “no evidence of mass mortalities” to date, and little risk to human health.
She confirmed that Australia’s poultry sector remains unharmed.
This week, the national scientific laboratory confirmed seven cases of H5 bird flu in greater crested terns in South Australia, bringing the national total to 27 positive detections.
South Australia’s Minister for Primary Industries, Clare Scriven, informed reporters that authorities would halt beach trips to safeguard the birds.
Conservationists worry that the disease could worsen extinction risks for Australian wildlife, as many species live exclusively on the vast continent.
Nearly half of Australia’s wild bird species and 83% of its animals live nowhere else in the world.
Backstory…
Australia’s confirmation of local transmission of the H5 bird flu virus marks a significant development in the country’s efforts to contain avian influenza, a disease that has devastated poultry industries worldwide in recent years.
Until now, Australia had largely avoided sustained spread of the highly pathogenic H5 strain that has swept through parts of Asia, Europe and the Americas, forcing the culling of hundreds of millions of birds and disrupting global egg and poultry supplies.
Health authorities have maintained strict surveillance and biosecurity measures to prevent the virus from becoming established within the country.
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