#19,275
While there was little doubt of the outcome, for the past 2 days we've been waiting for test results from an apparent mass mortality event on Baudin Rocks island, South Australia.
Overnight South Australia has reported that HPAI H5N1 was detected in a number of sampled carcasses.
Those results were announced by Agriculture Minister Julie Collins (video link), and we have the latest update from South Australia.
Current bird flu detections
South Australia’s first confirmed detection of H5 bird flu was in a wild migratory bird (southern giant petrel) on Wednesday, 24 June at Knights Beach at Port Elliot on the Fleurieu Peninsula.A further 49 suspected H5 bird flu detections are undergoing further confirmatory testing at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Victoria.
- Further confirmed detections include:a giant petrel (8 July at Hardwicke Bay, Yorke Peninsula)
- a southern giant petrel (10 July at Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island)
- a northern giant petrel (10 July at Port Vincent, Yorke Peninsula)
- three greater crested terns (10 July at Robe, Limestone Coast; 26 July at Semaphore, metro Adelaide; and 26 July at Robe, Limestone Coast)
- seven greater crested terns (28 July at Cape Jaffa, Port MacDonnell and Southend, Limestone Coast)
- a giant petrel (30 July at Port Lincoln, Eyre Peninsula)
- a silver gull (1 August at Robe, Limestone Coast)
- 19 greater crested terns (1 August at Beachport (3), Cape Jaffa (1), Southend (1), Port MacDonnell (2), Robe (7), Limestone Coast; and Seal Bay (5), Kangaroo Island)
- two silver gulls (2 August at Robe (1) and South End (1), Limestone Coast)
- a greater crested tern (2 August at Monarto)
- a petrel (3 August, Coorong)
- one silver gull (3 August, Glenelg)
- two greater crested terns (3 August, Troubridge Island)
- one silver gull (3 August, Southend)
- one greater crested tern (3 August, Monarto)
- six greater crested terns (3 August, Pages Island)
- five greater crested terns (3 August, Baudin Rocks)
- one silver gull (3 August, Baudin Rocks).
The current national tally sits at 78 confirmed detections, but that undoubtedly underrepresents the current situation. There are literally thousands of citizen reports of bird deaths that have not been investigated.
This update from https://www.agriculture.gov.au/campaigns/birdflu
As of 3pm AEST, 3 August 2026, Australia has 78 confirmed detections of H5 bird flu in wild seabirds.
- 10 in Western Australia (WA)
- 58 in South Australia (SA)
- 2 in New South Wales (NSW)
- 1 in Queensland (QLD)
- 7 in Victoria (VIC).
This is the serious H5 bird flu strain that has been circulating globally.
There have been no detections in poultry or the wider agriculture industry. There is no evidence of any large scale deaths.
The Consultative Committee for Emergency Animal Disease (CCEAD) has reviewed its previous advice and endorsed a framework on national poultry biosecurity measures that will commence from 31 July. Under this framework, state and territory governments are responsible for issuing advice on biosecurity measures using a risk-based approach.
State and territory governments are responsible for surveillance and response activities on the ground. They are actively working with industry to provide guidance on implementation of enhanced biosecurity measures, as appropriate. Find out more about bird flu in your state or territory.
National coordination is being led by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
The risk to human health remains low.
Australia is well prepared to respond quickly.
While Australian national and local governments continue to stress the lack of outbreaks in poultry or other livestock, and still maintain `There is no evidence of any large scale deaths', the recent history of H5N1 suggests those types of reassurances are likely to be short-lived.
