Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to take all necessary measures to prevent the spread of H5N1 bird flu after the country confirmed its first mainland case of the virus.
The announcement follows the detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain in a seabird found near Esperance, a coastal town located about 570 kilometres southeast of Perth in Western Australia.
Until now, Australia had remained the only continent without a confirmed mainland case of H5N1, although the virus was detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of Heard Island, approximately 4,100 kilometres from mainland Australia.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney, Prime Minister Albanese described the development as concerning and assured the public that the government would do “whatever we can to restrict any spread” of the disease.
Australian authorities confirmed that laboratory testing identified the infected bird as a migratory brown skua carrying the H5N1 strain. A second bird, a giant petrel found ill in the same region, also tested positive.
Despite the discovery, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins stressed that there is currently no evidence of widespread bird deaths or infections within Australia’s poultry industry or agricultural sector.
“There’s no evidence of any mass mortalities, and there’s no evidence that it’s in our poultry or agriculture system at this stage,” Collins said.
Human infections of H5N1 remain rare. However, the virus has caused significant disruption globally in recent years, leading to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds and contributing to food supply shortages and rising prices.
In preparation for potential outbreaks, Australia has strengthened biosecurity measures across the country, including enhanced surveillance of migratory birds, testing programmes, vaccination efforts for vulnerable species, and emergency response planning.
Authorities say monitoring and containment measures are continuing as they assess the situation and work to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Source: Reuters
