Australia reports second H5N1 bird flu case in migratory seabird

SYDNEY – Australia reported a second case of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu in Western Australia on June 22, after confirming its first over the weekend, as the government vowed to rein in the spread of the virus.

A migratory seabird, known as a northern giant petrel, found sick on a remote beach tested positive, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins said, after a case involving a brown skua on June 20. Both birds were found near the coastal town of Esperance, about 570km south-east of the state capital of Perth.

“We’re working very closely with both the chicken, meat and the egg poultry systems and industries to do everything that we can do and improve biosecurity, and those systems and those areas to stop it from getting into those production systems,” Collins said.

“Can we do that forever? We don’t know the answer to that; that is a hypothetical,” she added.

Human infections remain rare, but the global spread of avian influenza has devastated flocks, disrupted supplies and pushed up food prices in recent years.

Until now, Australia had been the only continent without a confirmed mainland case, though the virus was detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of Heard Island.

In its efforts to tackle bird flu, Australia has tightened farm biosecurity, increased testing of shorebirds, vaccinated vulnerable species and conducted response simulations.

Poultry producer Inghams said it would move to a complete lockdown as a precaution across all farms and processing sites in Western Australia.

“There has been no detection in commercial poultry, which includes Ingham’s operations and its supply chain,” Inghams said in a statement. REUTERS