Six more birds flagged for testing after third suspected H5 bird flu case detected in WA

Six more birds will be tested for the H5 bird flu virus in Western Australia as official testing continues on a seabird that would become the state’s third confirmed case of the deadly strain.

Authorities received reports of 69 more birds sick or dying through the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on Wednesday.

Western Australian Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis confirmed on Wednesday that preliminary tests had returned a positive result for a southern giant wren found in the Quindalup area, north of the popular holiday resort of Dunsborough.

The sample is being analyzed further at CSIRO’s Australian Center for Disease Preparedness in Victoria to determine whether it is the H5 strain of bird flu.

The results are expected to be announced in the coming days.

The latest testing comes after Papua New Guinea suspended imports of Australian poultry and eggs after the virus was first detected in two seabirds in Esperance last week.

Meanwhile, South Australia confirmed its first case of H5 bird flu on Wednesday.

The virus was detected in a giant bird found at Knights Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula.