Australia reports 2nd mainland case of deadly H5N1 bird flu

Australia reports 2nd mainland case of deadly H5N1 bird flu after authorities confirmed another infection in Western Australia. On June 22, Julie Collins, Australia’s minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, told reporters in Canberra that a northern giant petrel found sick on a beach in southern WA on Thursday tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain. The result comes two days after Collins announced on Saturday that a brown skua from the same southern WA region, found sick on June 14, died from H5N1, which she described as the first confirmed mainland case. Collins said Monday there was no evidence yet of mass mortalities in wildlife or of the virus spreading to Australia’s poultry or agricultural systems. In parallel, Ingham’s, one of the country’s largest poultry producers, implemented a complete lockdown of its entire WA operations to mitigate potential risks. Environment Minister Murray Watt said Australia is prepared for a local outbreak.