#19,277
The number of confirmed H5N1 detections in wild birds in Australia has more than quintupled in a little over a week, rising from 20 on July 27th to 102 today (Aug 4th).
Two quick updates this morning from the Australian Authorities, first this from DAFF.Most of this increase has come from the state of South Australia, where the first mass mortality event (in birds) has been confirmed.
Attributable to Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson:
Testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) has confirmed further positive results in South Australia, bringing the total to 81 in South Australia. This includes detections in Limestone Coast (Southend, Robe and Baudin Rocks), Kangaroo Island (Harriet River, Seal Bay, Vivonne Bay and D’Estrees Bay), Coorong, Glenelg, Troubridge Island and The Pages Islands. It also includes 6 from Baudin Rocks, comprising 5 greater crested terns and 1 silver gull.
The Baudin Rocks detection follows an investigation into over 80 sick or dead wild birds, and is the first confirmed mass mortality event in wildlife in Australia due to H5 bird flu.
In line with overseas experience and recent events within Australia, a mass mortality event is not unexpected. It follows evidence of some local transmission between a smaller number of wild birds in South Australia.
There has also been one further positive result from Portland in Victoria at this stage, through testing at its state laboratory.
There have now been 102 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu in Australia, based on samples tested. With the mass mortality event at Baudin Rocks, not all sick or dead wild birds were sampled as this is not necessary to determine whether the event was due to H5 bird flu.
There remain no detections in poultry or in our agricultural production system.
The risk to human health remains low.
And from SA state authorities we get:
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.
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).
- 23 greater crested terns (4 August, Limestone Coast, Southend (5) and Robe (7), and Kangaroo Island, Harriet River (1), Seal Bay (4), Vivonne Bay (5) and D’Estrees Bay (1)
A further 28 suspected H5 bird flu detections are undergoing further confirmatory testing at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Victoria.
Up-to-date national information is available at birdflu.gov.au.
Given the limits of surveillance and testing, the real number is likely much higher, potentially in the thousands by now. For now, all detections have been in migratory or native seabirds, but how long that status quo can continue remains to be seen.
