Dead bird on Sydney beach sent for testing after deadly virus strikes NSW
Authorities have sent a dead bird found on a Sydney beach for testing after the first case of severe and deadly bird flu reached NSW.
On Saturday, Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty confirmed that a giant bird found at Bennetts Beach at Hawks Nest, north of Newcastle, had tested positive for H5N1, following a cluster of cases along Australia’s southern coastline.
A dead cormorant at Narrabeen Beach the same day prompted members of Surf Life Saving NSW to set up a temporary exclusion zone with traffic cones around the bird.
Staff notified the emergency animal disease hotline, and by Saturday afternoon the bird was collected and sent for testing to the Elizabeth McArthur Institute in Menangle.
If initial results are equivocal, the bird will be tested at the CSIRO’s Center for Disease Preparedness in Geelong to confirm infection.
Surf Life Saving NSW is part of a wide network of staff recruited to assist with surveillance efforts, including staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and animal hospitals.
A virulent form of bird flu has decimated wild bird populations overseas, killed tens of thousands of mammals, sickened livestock and devastated poultry farms, and led to the culling of hundreds of millions of chickens in the United States.
Officials stressed there was no evidence of widespread spread among birds in Australia and that the disease had not infected local poultry farms.
“There is no need to panic,” Moriarty said Sunday morning. “People should keep buying chickens, people should keep buying eggs as usual.”
The bird flu patient found on the NSW Mid North Coast was the sixth confirmed case of bird flu detected in bathing petrels and skuas across Australia in the past two weeks.
More infected shorebirds are likely to arrive from beneath Antarctica. Preventing the virus from spreading to wildlife (which could be disastrous for many native species, from black swans to sea lions) is a matter of humans reaching infected birds before natural scavengers.
“We have increased our significant surveillance exercises since the discovery of this first bird and will continue to do so,” Moriarty said. “We have over 500 people trained to perform appropriate surveillance.”
Australia’s Acting Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Sam Hamilton, convened the Emergency Animal Disease Advisory Committee on Friday, which brings together industry with federal and state governments to discuss biosecurity measures.
To reduce the likelihood of poultry being affected by wild birds, the committee encouraged states to temporarily allow poultry farmers to house free-ranging birds indoors.
“Poultry producers are reminded that on-farm biosecurity practices are vital to maintaining the health of their flocks,” the committee said in a statement.
Symptoms of the virus in wild birds include twisted necks, inability to walk or fly, a flabby or swollen appearance, or sudden mass deaths.
Angus Dalton is science correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
