Bird flu confirmed in Australia for the first time, meaning virus has now reached every continent

Australia confirmed its first case of H5N1 bird flu, a development that indicates the virus has reached every continent. The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said the virus was detected in a single brown skua seabird near Esperance, on the south coast of Western Australia, within Cape Le Grand National Park. Officials said they are responding under a nationally coordinated plan with the state government and stakeholders to reduce disease impact. Western Australia’s early detection system led to isolating the bird and collecting samples for testing, with further tests confirming a strain consistent with outbreaks previously reported on Heard Island and McDonald Islands. The state minister said there have been no detections in poultry and no evidence of mass mortality on the mainland. A second suspected case involves another seabird near Esperance.