First case of deadly bird flu detected on mainland
A deadly bird disease that is harming wildlife worldwide has been confirmed on the Australian mainland for the first time.
The detection of the H5 strain of bird flu was announced on Saturday after a sick brown skua was found on a remote beach in Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance, about 700 kilometers southeast of Perth.
The strain has already killed millions of animals and could threaten Australia’s native wildlife and livestock, but Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the government was planning for the virus to spread.
“We all knew we couldn’t get rid of (H5) bird flu forever,” he told reporters.
“Although disappointing, this is not unexpected given the global spread of the H5 avian influenza virus.
“We looked at what was happening abroad and learned from that, so we invested early.”
The federal government has spent more than $100 million to support Australia’s preparedness against this strain of bird flu.
More than 100 plans have been developed for key natural areas and an advisory committee on animal disease emergencies met on Saturday morning to consider WA’s response plan.
The government has confirmed that there is currently no evidence of mass mortality or infection in poultry or agricultural production systems.
However, a second sick bird (a giant bird flu) tested positive for H5 bird flu.
Tasmanian devils, the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot and black swan are among many native animals susceptible to the disease.
Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson said the most vulnerable animal populations were those that congregated and bred at high densities.
This includes the little penguin and the blue-billed duck.
Other species are less biologically sensitive but may also be vulnerable if they are currently threatened with extinction.
The Australian sea lion is particularly at risk as it is both susceptible and already endangered, but Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser confirmed flu is not an automatic death sentence.
“A disease like bird flu increases the risk of extinction of already threatened species,” Dr Fraser said.
“This is not a formula where adding bird flu will make the species disappear.
“If bird flu spreads to Australia, it won’t be everywhere at the same time, and there will be parts of the country it will probably never reach.”
The deadly strain was first detected on Australian soil in October on World Heritage-listed Heard Island, 4,000 kilometers southwest of Perth.
Scientists who visited the sub-Antarctic region estimated that 13,359 southern elephant seal calves died from the disease out of a total population of 17,364.
The risk to Australia’s agricultural industries remains low, but will increase if the strain emerges in other animal populations.
Although there are some human infections abroad, the risk is low and usually occurs after very close contact with sick or dying animals.
People are still urged to take precautions.
The government also appealed to the community to help fight bird flu.
Australians are asked to avoid contact with dead or sick animals, record information about their location and area and contact the emergency animal disease helpline.
The Western Australian government is leading the on-site response to bird flu detections.
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