Authorities confirm local transmission of H5 bird flu
Authorities believe H5 bird flu is being transmitted between birds in South Australia, sparking fears for a colony of endangered sea lions at a popular tourist hotspot.
South Australian Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven confirmed 11 suspected cases of the H5 strain of bird flu had been detected among greater crested terns in the state.
Conservationists have expressed fears about a suspected case of the virus at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island. iStock
Seven of the suspected cases were detected the state’s south-east and four were discovered on Kangaroo Island.
Authorities are waiting for test results from the CSIRO, which are due on Wednesday or Thursday, to confirm whether the birds have caught the virus.
Conservationists have expressed fears about one particular suspected case, which was found on Kangaroo Island’s Seal Bay.
The coastal tourist attraction is home to one of Australia’s most important sea lion colonies.
Invasive Species Council senior advocate James Johnston described the suspected detection of bird flu as “deeply concerning”.
“It brings the virus to the doorstep of one of Australia’s most important Australian sea lion colonies,” Johnston said.
“While this detection is in a greater-crested tern and there is currently no evidence the virus has spread to sea lions, its proximity to such a significant seal colony highlights how quickly this disease is moving through wildlife.”
Beach tours at Seal Bay have been temporarily suspended.
Minister for Agriculture Julie Collins confirmed on Wednesday afternoon evidence suggests some local transmission has occurred between a number of greater crested terns in South Australia.
“While there remains no mass mortalities at this point in time, we do expect with this local transmission that there will be further detections in Australian wildlife,” Collins said.
“States and territories will continue to undertake activities on the ground, particularly through shared costs to manage the impact of the H5 bird flu.
“I do want to reiterate at this point in time there has been no detections in poultry or agricultural industries in Australia and that the risk to human health remains low.”
Collins reminded the public to continue to report dead and sick birds, keep up to date with the situation at birdflu.gov.au, and not to touch dead birds.
Australian Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Beth Cookson said the decision to declare local transmission came after experts considered the cases, which linked them to the sub-Antarctic strains.
“Whilst this is a concerning development, it is not unexpected for us to start to see more local transmission in birds that share the same coastal habitat,” Cookson said.
“This news of some local transmission may mean we start to see wider spread among wild birds and other susceptible wildlife.
“We do know from the overseas experience that once the virus becomes more widespread in wild bird populations, it will not be possible to avoid losses in susceptible wildlife in the natural environment.
“Our focus will continue to be on surveillance to confirm where the virus is circulating and to take further action to reduce the impacts where possible.”
Across Australia there are 27 confirmed H5 bird flu detections, including 14 in South Australia, 10 in Western Australia, two in NSW and one in Queensland.
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