Australia reports 102 H5 detections

Australia’s H5 bird flu outbreak in wild birds is moving faster than the earlier public tally that put detections at 102 across five states. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said that, as of 11 a.m. AEST on August 6, Australia had 123 confirmed detections in wild birds: 87 in South Australia, 23 in Victoria, 10 in Western Australia, two in New South Wales and one in Queensland. The department said there had been no detections in poultry or the wider agriculture industry, and that the risk to human health remained low. June 20 marked Australia’s first confirmed detection of the globally circulating H5 strain, when federal officials said testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness confirmed the virus in a brown skua in Western Australia. Since then, the outbreak has spread from isolated seabird detections to broader wildlife transmission, including the first confirmed mass mortality event in Australian wildlife this week. (agriculture.gov.au) ### Why does the count now differ from the 102 figure? Farm Weekly reported on Wednesday that Australia had 102 detections across five states and quoted officials describing spread in wild birds as “unstoppable.” By Thursday, the federal bird flu dashboard had lifted the national total to 123 confirmed detections, showing how quickly the outbreak has been evolving. Wildlife Health Australia said on August 6 that H5 bird flu had been confirmed in five jurisdictions — Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria — and that all detections to date were in wild birds. (minister.agriculture.gov.au) The agency listed affected species including brown skuas, giant petrels, greater crested terns, silver gulls and an Australian magpie. (agriculture.gov.au) ### Where is the virus showing up most heavily? South Australia accounted for 87 of the 123 confirmed detections on August 6, according to the federal agriculture department. Victoria had 23, Western Australia 10, New South Wales two and Queensland one. August 3 brought confirmation of the first mass mortality episode in Australian wildlife, when authorities said about 50 greater crested terns were killed on Baudin Rocks, an island about 5 kilometers south of Cape Jaffa in South Australia. (wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au) Reuters reported that warning as officials flagged the risk of wider spread. ### Which species are conservationists most worried about? (agriculture.gov.au) ABC reported on August 5 that a ranking of Australian species by threat from H5 bird flu found more than 80 endangered and critically endangered species at “high” risk or worse. Invasive Species Council CEO Jack Gough told ABC the assessment was “a list of doom,” while species cited as vulnerable included penguins, quolls, sea lions, seals, dolphins and whales. (abc.net.au) The Guardian reported that nearly 400 Australian species were considered under threat from the outbreak, citing conservationists and a government-linked assessment of risk. A related analysis in The Conversation said the virus had now spread from migratory birds into resident Australian birds and would “inevitably” infect other wildlife, especially mammals. ### How has the official message changed since July? (abc.net.au) A July 21 national management communiqué said detections had been limited to individual wild seabirds in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales, with no evidence at that stage of spread to local wildlife or large-scale deaths. By early August, that position had changed as officials confirmed local transmission and mass deaths among seabirds. (bsky.app) August 1 updates from Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson put the national total at 53 confirmed or presumed positive detections, and August 2 updates raised that to 62. The August 6 federal total of 123 shows the acceleration over less than a week. ### What happens next as migration season builds? Millions of migratory birds are expected to arrive in coming months, a factor cited in current reporting as a risk for further geographic spread. (agriculture.gov.au) Federal and wildlife authorities are directing the public not to touch sick or dead birds and to report sightings through birdflu.gov.au. (agriculture.gov.au) As of August 6, the next benchmark is the federal detection tally published by the agriculture department and mirrored by wildlife authorities. Those updates will show whether the outbreak remains concentrated in South Australia and Victoria or expands further along Australia’s coastline. (agriculture.gov.au) (wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au)