Australia Reports First Mass Bird Deaths from H5N1

Australia has recorded its first mass mortality event caused by the H5N1 avian influenza virus among native seabirds, the federal government said on Monday.

Tests confirmed the virus in a group of 49 dead and 35 sick greater crested terns found on rocks off Cape Jaffa in South Australia, about 250 km from Adelaide, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said.

“This is the first confirmed case of a mass mortality”, Collins told reporters in Canberra. “Australians should expect to see more spread and larger numbers now of wildlife being affected.”

Since H5N1 was first detected in Australia in June, the country has recorded 74 confirmed cases, most of them in South Australia, although infections have also been found in Western Australia and Queensland.

There is no evidence that the virus has reached Australian farms, many of which have tightened biosecurity measures to protect poultry flocks.

H5N1 can infect people who come into contact with infected animals, but the number of human cases worldwide remains small, and officials say the risk to the public is low.

(Reuters, lud)